She grew up in foster care. Now this Latina trailblazer opens doors in California colleges
For Daisy Gonzales, who grew up in the foster care system in the San Fernando Valley, school was always a safe haven.
Gonzales regularly moved in and out of group homes, child care facilities and her parents’ house throughout her childhood. She immersed herself in her studies to avoid the abusive and unstable environment of her home life.
“I always knew that school was safer than any other place could be because my home was not,” she said.
Gonzales went on to study at Mills College in Oakland and the University of California, Santa Barbara as she pursued a career in education. She is now the first Latina to serve as deputy chancellor of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and is responsible for creating educational policies for the state’s 116 community colleges. She also became the first Latina to serve as acting chancellor of the state’s community college system in 2021.
Gonzales is now focused on…
