Michele Siqueiros honored by James Irvine Foundation for her leadership

In recognition of their dedication to addressing critical issues affecting Californians, the James Irvine Foundation will recognize Michele Siqueiros, Elizabeth Baham, Héctor Camacho Jr., Francis "Frankie" Guzman and five other trailblazing California leaders from six organizations this year.

The recipients of the 2024 Leadership Awards are a group of innovators working on a wide range of challenges, including teacher preparation, youth justice, college access and completion, and ensuring the health and safety of Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, refugee and immigrant populations.

Every year, the Leadership Awards acknowledge individuals and organizations who have demonstrated success in improving lives, creating opportunities, and contributing to a better California. Each award recipient's organization receives a grant of $350,000 to further support their work benefiting the people of California, with the potential for expansion, replication, or policy support. Additionally, the Irvine Foundation assists recipients in sharing their successful approaches with policymakers and practitioners.

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation’s focus is where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Since 1937, the Foundation has provided more than $2.6 billion in grants to organizations throughout California. The Foundation ended 2023 with $3.1 billion in assets and provided $180.3 million in grants. 

"The accomplishments of these diverse leaders and their ongoing commitment to improving the lives of Californians are truly inspiring,” said Don Howard, President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation. “Their innovative approaches to solving tough problems have made a positive impact in so many communities. It’s a privilege for the Irvine Foundation to amplify their leadership and provide support as they address some of the most formidable challenges our state is currently facing."

Elizabeth Baham and Héctor Camacho Jr, provost and senior vice president of Reach University, are being recognized for addressing California’s teacher shortage through on-the-job degree and credential programs.

Francis "Frankie" Guzman, senior director is honored by the foundation for youth justice at the National Center for Youth Law, for transforming the justice system by centering youth voices and outcomes. Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, is an honoree for confronting hate and discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with data, partnerships and policy solutions. 

Other honorees include Brian Poth and Nick Vargas, executive director and director of development and strategy of The Source LGBT+ Center, for fostering hope, health, safety, and inclusivity for the Central Valley’s LGBTQ+ community, Blanca Meléndrez and Amina Sheik Mohamed, executive director and director of the UC San Diego ACTRI Center for Community Health, for advancing health equity through collaborative, community-led initiatives.

Michele Siqueiros, President of The Campaign for College Opportunity, is recognized for expanding college access and completion through advocacy, research and coalition building. 

As a first-generation student growing up in Echo Park, Siqueiros saw her hard working immigrant mother from Guadalajara, Mexico struggle with personal and economic hardships. Siqueiros initially thought she was lucky to go to college. As she got older, she realized it was the support of family, mentors, programs and policies—including affirmative action, financial aid, and even the volunteers who helped her fill out her FAFSA forms—that made her path to college possible. 

When California voted to ban affirmative action in public universities, Siqueiros was attending UCLA on an affirmative action fellowship. She recognized that the path to college would be more difficult for the next generation of students and has since dedicated her career to fighting for college access and success. 

Over her 20-year tenure at The Campaign for College Opportunity, Siqueiros has made significant contributions over the course of her career. She has championed policies and co-sponsored legislation to expand the Associate Degree for Transfer from community colleges to the CSU and UC. “Last year alone, over 30,000 Latinx students earned ADT’s. Latinx students accounted for nearly half of all ADT’s earnings in 2022,” she said. 

Additionally, this crucial legislation aims to promote student success at community colleges. “We’ve been putting a lot of attention on making sure we close racial gaps that continue to exist and persist,” she said. In light of the campaign's research, California will be facing a shortage of 1.65 million workers with college degrees by 2030. 

It has been a personal mission for Siqueiros to create a path for the next generation of students by fighting for college access and success. “Fundamentally, I believe that talent is everywhere. There are talented young people that don’t always grow up and go to schools that have the best quality of education, but they are still smart and capable of achieving big things,” she said. “I think a big part of it is definitely having the sense of paying it back for the opportunities I have had and wanting to make sure that others have them too.”

Currently, Siqueiros is concerned about the fact that Latinos, in particular, have the lowest level of bachelor degree attainment in our state. According to a 2021 State of Higher Education for Latinx Californians report Latino students make up a larger proportion of the total student body (46%) compared to the other public higher education systems. At the UC student body, Latino students make up only 26% of the student body despite 39% of the CA population being Latino with over 50 % of high school graduates being Latino. The Campaign for College Opportunity believes their role is more important than ever.

As an honored leader this year, Siqueiros feels incredibly honored by the foundation. “It’s my 20th anniversary in this role and with this organization, and quite frankly, a lot of folks didn’t believe that the work we’ve been able to accomplish would be possible. And so, it’s an affirmation,” she said. “As a woman, as a Latina, as someone who’s very used to being underestimated, it has been incredible to live and to work towards a purpose.”

Siqueiros shared with CALÓ News some advice for the next generation of individuals who are interested in also being leaders in the Latino community. 

“Never forget who you are. The work that you do should always be of service to others. I think a lot of the time there are folks who are really working to advance their own interests. I really appreciate that I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to fight for our community and for students who are not often at the table. All the work that we do is to ensure that students have more opportunities,” she said. “That’s my guiding North Star in everything that we tackle. Hopefully, it’s how you leave this place better for other people, especially for others who aren’t going to be in the room and that can’t advocate for themselves.”