About Brayan

Brayan (he, him, his) is a proud first-generation, undocuqueer, Latine student. Brayan was raised in an immigrant household with four siblings and two loving parents in Oceanside, CA. Brayan is the first person in his immediate and extended family to graduate from a university in the United States. Growing up, society instilled in him that higher education was unattainable due to his intersectional identities, but with the inspiration, drive, and love of his mentors/femtors, friends, and family, he was able to graduate from UCLA and is currently pursuing his master’s degree at SDSU. He is also a proud frenchie dad, a twin, and a huge Lady Gaga fan.

Educational Journey

After graduating from Oceanside High School, he attended MiraCosta Community College. When he started, he was an Animal Science major and dreamt of attending UC Davis to one day become a veterinarian. At MiraCosta, he discovered his passion for Sociology, higher education, giving back to his community, and leadership. This inspired his major change and transferred to UCLA where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies and a minor in Education. Brayan is currently in his last year in the Post-Secondary Educational Leadership and Student Affairs master’s program at SDSU. 

While at MiraCosta, Brayan was President of multiple student clubs and the Associated Student Government. At UCLA, he worked with the UCLA LGBT Center and the Undocumented Student Program. After his undergraduate education, he returned to work for MiraCosta College and has worked in a variety of departments including Transfer Center, Student Life and Leadership, Academic Proctoring Center and Testing, First Year Forward, International Office, and Student Equity. He is excited to continue to work in higher education and expand access to historically minoritized students. 

Research Interests

Brayan is passionate about identifying effective strategies to improve access to higher education for disproportionately impacted students and communities. In addition, he would like to look at trends and support for community college undocumented, queer, and trans students. Lastly, he is intentional in seeking ways to have an asset-based thinking and focus on community cultural wealth to honor and validate student experiences.