PRESS KIT

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Siya

Born to immigrant Filipino parents, Christine Capacillo was born and raised in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, CA. Growing up, she was surrounded by strong family ties and embraced her community.  She was accepted into Summer Search as a student at Balboa High School. Her life changing summer experiences gave her the early exposure to becoming a leader in advocating for educational equity. Christine propelled to be the first in her family to attend college. At UCLA, she immediately emerged as a student activist and leader focusing on local and international social justice and educational equity issues. She went on to serve in various roles between the Summer Search San Francisco and New York City sites. In 2002, she served as the very first Summer Search Alumni Director.

Christine has dedicated her entire career in ensuring equity for underrepresented communities and has worked in the educational non-profit sector for the past 20 years. She earned her M.A. in Developmental Psychology at Columbia University Teachers College and led efforts in bridging access to higher education for underrepresented students. She has contributed her work and leadership at other nationally recognized organizations such as Harlem Children’s Zone, College Summit (now known as Peer Forward), iMentor and Black Girls CODE. After living in New York for 13 years, she thrilled to be back in Bay Area and return to Summer Search full circle as the Director of Alumni Relations and Career Services. She is eager to lead efforts to address, combat and remedy the racial inequity in the workforce and provide thoughtful, relevant and quality programming to her fellow alumni community. She is also a founding member of Level, a diverse professional women’s network taking action in addressing the racial wealth gap by investing in Black women entrepreneurs. Christine enjoys attending concerts, hosting gatherings, and traveling with her fiancé and son.

Pronouns: she/her.

Andrea is a Seattle Pacific University alum with a degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Women’s Studies. Her experience attending university as a Queer Puerto Rican led her to quickly immerse herself in student-centered circles advocating for institutional equity. Andrea’s role as the Student Support Coordinator for the UW Dream Project deepened her desire to continue supporting young folx with their post-secondary pathways and to continue advocating for racial and class equity within institutions and communities.

In her free time, Andrea is hoping to take many writing courses to improve her writing skills and to connect with her community in Seattle. She also loves to attend local art shows, explore Duwamish with her partner, and paint outside while watching the sunset.

Pronouns: Any Pronouns

Anika was born and raised in Sonoma county in a single-parent household. Her determination to make a difference for her family was to attend college as a first-generation and to attain a full-time career position to end the ongoing cycle of poverty that has been faced within her family. Growing up she had to become resilient towards bullying, discrimination, and poverty but when she got into high school, she was able to join Summer Search where she had mentors that helped her surpass her expectations. When she got into high school, she enrolled at the Santa Rosa Junior College to get high school credits and begin collecting college credits as well. Being able to graduate high school on time and being accepted to colleges right after high school, changed everything for her. To make the best decision for herself, she continued her education at SRJC until she transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara where she expanded her knowledge on Black studies and Education. With her education, she has strived to advocate for those who may be labeled at-risk in school and those who are also wanting to change their own family cycles of poverty.

“I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever but to be a part of an ongoing historical movement.”

– Angela Davis