CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY -- “Sometimes the classroom is the only stability a student has access to and educators become the only source of support.”
Marisa Samano Jimison has overcome many obstacles, including the stress of her father’s chronic mental illness which negatively affected her home life and her high school studies. Yet, Marisa remembers her mother instilling in her at a young age appreciation for the importance of education and always doing your best.
With these values, Marisa persevered. Following a life path which including transferring to a continuation school and becoming a hairstylist, Marisa eventually enrolled at San Francisco State University.
Marisa is now pursuing a dual Bachelor’s degree in English education and Spanish with a minor in comparative literature. She is also the first in her mother's family to go to college.