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Diversity and Inclusion: Dream Office

The Dream Office focuses on the recruitment and retention of historically excluded populations. The mission of our office is to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in creating a public health workforce that mirrors the demographics of our communities. The Dream Office is dedicated to encouraging prospective students and supporting admitted students from all communities and especially those who have experienced historical inequities to pursue graduate degrees in public health at UC Berkeley.

Services for Prospective Students

  • Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Services

    The Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Services is the prospective student-focused peer-advising arm of the Dream Office. In alignment with the mission of the Dream Office, the goal of the Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Services are to foster diversity within the student population at Berkeley Public Health by connecting prospective applicants with current graduate students (Prospective Student Ambassadors) who may have faced barriers in applying to graduate school, may have been the first in their family to attend graduate school, and/or understand what it is like to overcome barriers in accessing higher education. We strongly encourage prospective students who are from social or cultural backgrounds underrepresented in public health graduate education, or those who have faced challenges due to cultural or family background, economic resources, age or other circumstances, to connect with our services.

    Our office employs one current graduate student, our Graduate Outreach Assistant, each academic year to assist in coordinating services for our prospective students. The Graduate Outreach Assistant coordinates our Prospective Student Ambassadors, presents at and organizes outreach events, and can provide 1:1 advising for prospective students.

  • Prospective Student Ambassadors (PSAs)

    PSAs will no longer be available starting April 26 2024 due to finals week, graduation, and summer break. PSAs will be available to meet at the beginning of October 2024 after the new cohort has been trained. Please email sphdiversity@berkeley.edu if you have any questions!

  • Advising and Mentoring

    The Dream Office provides a variety of services to support prospective students who have faced historical, economic, and educational barriers. The Dream Office has two professional staff, who are available for advising and mentoring for students who have already connected with our other services for prospective students and are seeking additional support.

    Yuri Hernández Osorio is the Director of the Dream Office and can be reached at sphdiversity@berkeley.edu. Yuri is also the first point of contact for prospective undocumented students seeking advising and mentoring.

Services for Current Students

  • Summer Seminar

    Summer Seminar Is a 4 day-long program prior to the start of the semester. To prepare URM, FGEN, and historically excluded students for their most challenging coursework (e.g. quantitative research methods, coding software, biostatistics, epidemiology, and writing for graduate school), participate in a cohort experience, build a sense of community, and familiarize yourself with campus and resources available. Summer Seminar is open to all incoming 2-year and concurrent Master’s students (except Blue Shield Scholars; you will get separate instructions to sign up for the program). We have a limited capacity of only 45 spots. Registration is on a first come first serve basis through an application process. Registration and participation is free. For any question or ADA accommodations please contact sphdiversity@berkeley.edu.

  • Dream Office’s Monthly Food Pantry & Community Closet

    Each month during the academic year the Dream Office hosts a monthly pantry and community closet where residential school of public health graduate students can “shop” for groceries, perishable and nonperishable items, hygiene products, menstrual products, lightly used/new clothing, household items and more! This is a free service.

    Our office employs one current graduate student, our Graduate Retention Assistant, each academic year to assist in coordinating services for our current students. The Graduate Outreach Assistant coordinates our Monthly Food Pantry and Community Closet, organizes community-building events, and connects current students with relevant resources such as wrap-around services.

  • Suite 2220 Snacks / Coffee & Tea

    Our office provides snacks, coffee, tea, and shelf stable food on second floor of Berkeley Way West inside the Student Service and Dream Offices. This service is intended to provide quick and easy access to snacks in between classes. However this is a very limited resource, stocked once a week and until supplies last. This service is not intended to supplement or resolve food needs/insecurities. Please visit main campus Basic Needs Center for your food needs and food insecurity support. If you need additional support reach out to Director of the Dream Office, Yuri at yosorio@berkeley.edu. Please help us keep up this resource by only taking what you need, being mindful of fellow classmates that also utilize this service, to ensure there is something at the end of each day. We highly encourage you to bring your own mug or use the reusable mugs/silverware located in the kitchen (wash after use & return). We will not provide single use cups, mugs, plates, etc.

  • Tutoring Services

    The Dream Office provides epidemiology and biostatistics tutoring for current residential students. Tutoring services are offered weekly and are on Zoom.

    For any questions regarding tutoring services please contact us:

    Current residential graduate students will receive email communication regarding dates and times of services.

    Tutoring for Online MPH students is based on the following subjects:

Want to connect about the services listed or have any questions? Contact us at sphdiversity@berkeley.edu.

Student Body Snapshot

We have a longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as pathways to excellence at all levels of the school—via recruiting, mentoring, and inclusively engaging with diverse populations of students, faculty, staff, and community partners.

The information below is a snapshot of the Berkeley Public Health graduate student community for Fall 2020. Percentages are based on a total school enrollment of 740 graduate students. Please note: numbers may not add up to 100 because of rounding.

Students of Color*

6.2%

African American / Black

24.5%

Asian and Pacific Islander

15.9%

Chicano / Latino

Gender†

61.5%

Female

24.5%

Male

.3%

Non-Binary

* International (not included in count) – 10.7%; declined to state – 4.1%
† Declined to state – 11.6%
Source: CalAnswers student census counts

Meet the Diversity and Inclusion Team

The Dream Office has a close knit team of staff and students who work together to support all students from underrepresented backgrounds during their time at Berkeley Public Health.

Umyeena Bashir

Outreach Assistant

she/her

Umyeena Bashir is a current UC Berkeley interdisciplinary MPH student. She has a BS in Applied Mathematics and a MS in Chemistry. Before starting at UC Berkeley, she worked in industry as a medicinal chemist. While working as a chemist, she got involved in advocacy work promoting period products free of toxic ingredients. She went on to become a fellow at Women’s Voices for the Earth and worked on promoting the Menstrual Right to Know Act, a bill that requires companies to list all toxic ingredients in period products. After this experience she wanted to change careers into public health! She hopes after graduation she does research on toxic chemical exposure in common household item to make products safe for people and the environment.

Stephany Loja

Biostatistics Tutor

she/her

Hello! I am a second year MPH student in the Epidemiology/Biostatistics department. I am originally from NYC, and studied Neuroscience and Public Health in my undergraduate years. I am currently working as an Epidemiologist at the Washington Department of Health. In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my dog, Nugget, and finding new recipes to cook up 🙂

Angela Mora

Epidemiology Tutor

she/her/hers

Angela is from Greenfield, California (in the Salinas Valley) and is currently a second-year Master in Public Health Epidemiology/Biostatistics student at UC Berkeley. She is generally interested in chronic disease/social epidemiology, mental health and harm reduction promotion, and reducing CVD-associated morbidity/mortality. She hopes to contribute to the dismantling of health inequities for marginalized communities, with an emphasis on the Latinx population. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends (and dog), exercising, and exploring the bay!

Edina Rozi

Marketing & Media Assistant

she/her

Hi, I’m Edina Rozi! I am an undergraduate sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Cognitive Science and Media Studies. I love to crochet, knit, cook, bake, and most importantly – design! I am the Dream Office’s Media/Marketing Creator and it is so nice to meet you!

Ana Sanchez Gutierrez

TBB Fellow: Summer Seminar

she/her

Hi, I’m Ana! I am a first year at Berkeley Optometry and I majored in Public Health during undergrad at Berkeley. During undergrad, I was involved with various organizations like USP, CHE, and HSI. I enjoy working with my communities and hope to continue to best support students! In my free time, you can catch me trying new foods in the area or dancing ballet folklórico.

Nao Satoh

Biostatistics Tutor

she/her

My name is Nao Satoh, a second-year MPH student in the Health Policy & Management concentration. With a background in user and market research, I’m particularly interested in the healthcare needs of aging populations and how public and private sectors can collaborate. Outside of studies, I love exploring new places in the area with my dog, trying out new recipes, and trying to find the best fried chicken sandwich in the area. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk about careers in tech/user research or you just want to see some cute dog pics!

Rachel Thero

Retention Assistant

she/her/hers

Hi! My name is Rachel Thero and I’m a second-year MPH student in the Environmental Health Sciences concentration. During my first-year, I recognized the widespread impact that the Dream office has for all students and therefore am incredibly excited to be a part of the team. Currently, my research focuses around ambient exposures affecting vulnerable populations and mitigation strategies through the built environment. Outside of academics, I enjoy swimming, biking, and the general outdoors as well as puzzles and listening to lots of music. I look forward to potentially meeting you and being a resource in the future!

History

In 2005, the Office of Diversity Services started as a result of student activism. Our office demanded that the school do more to increase student diversity. For the next ten (10) years, dedicated efforts were developed to increase the student diversity and in 2012, the office expanded in hiring an Outreach Coordinator. The office was and is composed of two staff members and also a cadre of student staff (GRADS Coordinators) and volunteers (GRADS Ambassadors) to ensure that DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) efforts are fully maintained. Outreach over the years has been targeted to a variety of institutions, such as California State Schools, other UCs, private colleges, community colleges, HBCUs, HSIs and high schools.

In 2005, the underrepresented minority population at BPH was 5%. In 2015, that number increased to 17%. Our goal is to have a student population that mirrors the demographics of the State of California, who will become shovel ready to tackle the pressing public health issues facing our most vulnerable community members.

Although what started with a focus in increasing the numbers of diverse students, the position expanded to assist the institution in creating more equitable admissions policies as well as addressing the priority of hiring faculty of color. The office was also instrumental in the development of the first ever school wide committee called D.I.C.E, diversity, inclusion, community, and equity that has addressed school wide “dice” issues. Additionally, a Summer Preparatory Program was designed to help students gain access to academic, campus, and school resources before classes begin. Eventually, the Office of Diversity Services became the DREAM office and now serves as a model for the UC Berkeley campus on how to recruit, retain, and graduate a top class of diverse public health graduate students.

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