Esperanza Padilla (She/her)

Hi there! I'm interested in research in Neurodiversity and the Sociology of Medicine. I discovered my Autism/ADHD later-in-life and which made me passionate about advocacy! I have extensive experience with self-advocacy to promote inclusion and support of Neurodivergent students at UC Berkeley through my tenure as Executive of Education (2020-2021) and Co-President of Spectrum: Autism at Cal (2021-2022). I look forward to expanding on my advocacy work and research at UCSF as an incoming graduate student for a Ph.D. in Sociology! Currently, I am a peer advocate for Student Support Services (SSS)TRiO at UC Berkeley. I became a TRiO member as a community college student at Napa Valley College and I am grateful to have the opportunity to give back to the program! As a fellow first-generation college student, I enjoy being able to support my peers by providing my resources through workshops and outreach. At the moment I am interested in social media management, but I look forward to contributing to research projects for SSS TRiO this summer. I hope to couple my aptitude for research and my love of advocacy in my future jobs and endeavors.

Ideal Workplace Values

Queer and multiracial preferred. Honest and transparent communication with the employer(s) and employees. Able to negotiate accommodations and take breaks when needed. Would love to join a collaborative and creative team to do research or advocacy on Neurodiversity.