Jacqueline has always been rooted in the vision of uplifting community voices, which have a long history of being neglected and siloed. Her passion to uncover the inequities within frontline communities stems from her own experience growing up in the rugged and eclectic streets of South Sacramento. During her undergraduate education at the University of San Francisco, she worked with undocumented communities in helping them acquire legal immigration status. She also worked on a national advocacy campaign for fair immigration reform in Washington D.C. where she garnered support from unlikely partners across the country, such as law enforcement, small businesses, and evangelical groups. Through her work in the immigration field, Jacqueline began to make the connection between environmental justice and immigration issues that disproportionately plagued the communities she was working with. 

During her senior thesis, she authored a paper that analyzed youth activists’ coalition building strategies in the environmental justice movement. Jacqueline earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics, with Minors in Latin American Studies and Legal Studies from the University of San Francisco. After graduation, Jacqueline served as an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow for the Northern Delta Groundwater Sustainability Agency. At the agency, she created and translated educational content to engage diverse rural communities on ecosystem services, resource stewardship, sustainable groundwater management and conservation efforts. 

Jacqueline has been an active pedestrian in every city she’s lived in. She understands that while many choose to walk or bike recreationally, others are not given the luxury of choice.  Active transportation is a necessity. She is committed to taking her lived experiences along with those of underserved communities to elevate safety, equity and holistic well-being through her work with Cal Walks.