Chapman Student Combines Research, Activism to Combat Racism in Local Schools With faculty mentorship, Marisa Quezada ’22 informs activism with data.

September 8, 2020

Marisa Quezada ’22 was scrolling through her Instagram feed when a post about racism in her community’s schools caught her eye.

It was a survey asking community members to share their stories about racism on Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) campuses. Quezada, who grew up in the district, didn’t think twice before submitting her own testimony. She then contacted the survey organizers, a group of women who, along with Quezada, would eventually go on to form CUSD Against Racism, a student-led advocacy group devoted to combating racism and amplifying Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the CUSD.