Research Assistant, Administrative Assistant

Efren Velazco

916-***-**** • **********@*****.*** • linkedin.com/in/efren-velazcojr • Sacramento, CA

EDUCATION

University of California, Irvine June 2020

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

• Social Justice and Activism study abroad program in Paris, France, January – March 2020

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Learning Policy Institute – Palo Alto, CA

September 2020 – Present

Research and Policy Intern

• Created model legislation for the Teacher Profession Playbook publication by analyzing and synthesizing 6 effective state legislation examples addressing the recruitment and retention of a stable teacher workforce

• Conducted a literature review and drafted a research design memo for forthcoming research on students experiencing deep poverty and its impacts on education

• Crafted a research memo on UC Regents’ test-optional policy decision to guide the performance assessment team strategy, including increasing equity for the Reimagining College Access initiative

Associated Students University of California, Irvine – Irvine, CA June 2019 – June 2020

Legal Education Clinic Coordinator

• Streamlined the first Legal Education Clinic online resource using WordPress to connect students to Pro bono legal services in Southern California

• Planned and led 4 events discussing the legal profession, legal services, and students’ rights to bridge the gap between legal professionals and the student community

• Hired and oversaw 6 interns to assist in event planning and to develop partnerships with legal organizations

UCI School of Social Sciences – Irvine, CA

April 2019 – June 2020

Peer Academic Advisor

• Counseled 15+ undergraduate students per week to assist in course planning and review degree requirements

• Established the Peer Academic Advising Facebook page to connect students to university resources, opportunities, and academic advising information

• Planned and executed 2 academic advising sessions at the first-year residential halls to increase accessibility to academic advising

Higbee and Associates – Santa Ana, CA

June 2018 – September 2019

Legal Assistant

• Collaborated with the senior legal assistant in the Copyright law intake process and exceeded the monthly goal of cases screened by 100+ for three consecutive months

• Provided attorneys with administrative support; collected and updated new client information, maintained an Excel spreadsheet to track cases, and scanned confidential documents

Associated Students University of California, Irvine – Irvine, CA September 2018 – June 2019

Fund the UC Coordinator

• Led the UCweVote campaign and persuaded 1,000+ undergraduate students to become registered voters

• Developed a legislative one-pager and presented findings of students experiencing basic needs insecurities across campuses to advocate for financial and institutional support

• Recruited and trained a delegation of 20 students to lobby Congress for revision of California’s higher education budget to include federal financial aid reform and Pell grant expansion

LANGUAGES AND SKILLS

• Fluent in Spanish (native speaker) and French (basic)

• Advanced user of Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Canva, Mail Chimp, Salesforce, SurveyMonkey

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