Yesenia Ayala

Yesenia Ayala, M.A., currently serves as Program Associate I at WestEd, with a focus on formative assessment and prior experience as a Graduate Student Intern. Yesenia is the founder and main consultant of First Cafecito, facilitating spaces for first-generation students and developing identity development curriculum. As a former public policy intern at Lumina Foundation and a legislative fellow for Senator Murray's Senate Committee, Yesenia actively engaged in education and labor policy. Experience includes roles at the Postsecondary National Policy Institute as a communications associate, CASA as an ESOL instructor and curriculum developer, and a research analyst at USCIS, supporting policy development. Yesenia holds a Master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College in Sociology, Spanish, and Latin American Studies.