{"id":11566,"date":"2026-06-02T15:02:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:02:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:02:18","slug":"csuf-alums-passion-for-helping-others-drives-her-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566","title":{"rendered":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Maria Linares found her voice at Cal State Fullerton.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by students from similar backgrounds, Linares learned how to organize, speak up and advocate for change. The Santa Ana native discovered her niche in student leadership, representing more than 40,000 students as chair of the board for Associated Students, Inc. from 2018 to 2021.<\/p>\n

Read more Mental fitness exam ordered for man charged with murder in 3 \u2018heinous\u2019 killings in Hawaii<\/a><\/p>\n

In that role, Linares helped raise scholarship funding for undocumented students from $1,000 to $20,000 annually, pushed for credit\/no-credit grading options during the pandemic and helped establish a food pantry on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a lot of people that looked like me and had similar backgrounds, and that motivated me to help those students that were the most vulnerable,\u201d Linares said. \u201cI advocated for students with disabilities and mental health resources \u2026 because a lot of times they\u2019re forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a graduate student at CSUF, Linares was appointed by the governor to the California State University Board of Trustees, a rare opportunity for a student and a position that carries significant responsibility.<\/p>\n

As a student trustee, Linares fought for increased basic-needs funding, emergency housing, improved Title IX policies, mental health resources and support for survivors of domestic violence and formerly incarcerated students.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I had really great conversations with the trustees outside of meetings,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes we would talk one-on-one, or we would have lunch or coffee as we were waiting to go into our meetings. And they really saw that I was just passionate about the work that I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linares visited 22 campuses in her two years on the board, balancing statewide responsibilities with raising three children as a single mother.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Her advocacy at Cal State Fullerton \u2014 and in the years that followed \u2014 didn\u2019t appear out of nowhere. Her difficult and at times traumatic experiences from childhood and young adulthood became the foundational catalyst for the passion that would later drive her work.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it came from my lived experiences,\u201d Linares said. \u201cI grew up in Santa Ana. There was a lot of instability, a lot of violence \u2026 a lot of barriers that people from underserved communities face.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a young wife and mother, Linares experienced violence within her home. Those experiences left her in \u201csurvival mode,\u201d even as she tried to pursue an education and raise her children.<\/p>\n

Linares attended a continuation high school, then Santa Ana College, then Irvine Valley College twice before finally transferring to Cal State Fullerton in 2016.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Love my woke pope\u2019: Why Leo\u2019s first encyclical went viral and how it speaks to his papal approach<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI knew Maria would be a great leader within a month of knowing her,\u201d said Jessica Yirush Stern, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. \u201cI saw her shape a contentious debate about general education by grounding the conversation in how transformative education relies on broad exposure to the liberal arts. Her clarity of thought and dogged focus on how to uplift people who need it most have stayed constant. Her confidence in those skills and the scope of her impact have expanded, which is so great to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

She received her bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from CSUF in 2019 and completed her Master of Public Administration degree in 2023.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Linares worked in CSUF\u2019s Office of Admissions before taking a position as the business initiative manager at the Orange County Business Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaria\u2019s leadership journey began at CSUF, and I have watched it grow into a powerful commitment to service and advocacy,\u201d said Jessica Barco, interim associate vice president of Strategic Enrollment Management, who has known Linares since Linares was enrolled at CSUF. \u201cShe leads with conviction, compassion and clarity, and it has been an honor to witness her impact and see her rise wherever a strong voice and resilient leadership is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linares was drawn to the business council because of a new initiative she now leads. She oversees the Leading Educational Attainment for Families initiative, partnering with the Orange County Department of Education and school districts to help families \u2014 especially non-English-speaking parents \u2014 understand the K\u201312 system and become advocates for their children.<\/p>\n

She also co-leads the California Jobs First initiative, which brought $9 million in funding to Orange County.<\/p>\n

Along with her professional responsibilities, Linares serves in several advisory and leadership roles, including the CSUF Center for Healthy Neighborhoods Advisory Council, \u00a0the CSUF College of Humanities and Social Sciences\u2019 Passage to the Future program, The Orange Workforce Alliance Regional Leadership Council, the Orange County Department of Education OC Pathways Executive Committee, the OC Health Care Agency Economic Disparities work group and the Project Kinship advisory council. She was also appointed to the OC Workforce Development Board by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy purpose in life is to help, to give back, to uplift,\u201d she said. \u201cAs long as my heart is beating, I\u2019m going to be involved in something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linares previously volunteered with the Prison Education Project at the California Institution for Women, where she taught Introduction to College Success courses to incarcerated women.<\/p>\n

\u201cI very much like working with our justice-impacted community \u2026 whether that is educating them about resources or college access,\u201d Linares said. \u201cAs long as I can create those pathways for people \u2026 I\u2019m going to keep doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Good dog! More children\u2019s hospitals turn to furry caregivers to help kids heal<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maria Linares overcame a traumatic childhood to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Now her purpose is to uplift humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Maria Linares overcame a traumatic childhood to earn bachelor's and master's degrees. Now her purpose is to uplift humanity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566\"},\"wordCount\":909,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566\",\"name\":\"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":768},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=11566#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Maria Linares overcame a traumatic childhood to earn bachelor's and master's degrees. Now her purpose is to uplift humanity.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy","datePublished":"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566"},"wordCount":909,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566","name":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-02T15:02:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/045ae8c51e12409cb012fae3c1ca5d35.webp","width":1024,"height":768},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11566#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CSUF alum\u2019s passion for helping others drives her advocacy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}