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A t UCR, Josefina Canchola discovered love. Her college years wrapped with her first romantic heartbreak — and a newfound passion: helping students. Canchola, who earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1988, has devoted her over 40-year career to working with youth at UCR and across California. Now, Canchola is making history as the first Latino person to lead the UCR Alumni Association Board of Directors. She started her two-year term as president this fall.

“I have an enormous love and appreciation for UCR, from day one when I moved into Mundo Hall and it became my home away from home,” said Canchola, who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in East Los Angeles and Whittier. “UCR saw me through some of the dark moments of my young life, but it also showed me so much love from friends.”

At UCR, she recalls living on her own for the first time, creating community on campus, and receiving support from professors and staff members that allowed for both intellectual and personal growth. UCR also gave Canchola her early professional experience as the first social/cultural programmer for Chicano Student Programs and the Women’s Resource Center. And it was UCR Chancellor Rosemary Schraer — the first female chancellor in the UC system, serving from 1987-92 — who nudged Canchola to continue her education.

“Until then, I had not even considered graduate school. Nobody had asked me, but Chancellor Schraer planted the seed and four months after my oldest daughter, Julia, was born, I enrolled in a master’s in management graduate program,” said Canchola, who is a mother of three.

Canchola’s passion is creating educational opportunities for first-generation and underserved students facing economic, social, and other obstacles to completing a college degree. For the past 24 years, she has held numerous roles with The Puente Project, a statewide program based out of UC Berkeley whose mission is to increase the number of underrepresented students enrolled in four-year colleges and help them become mentors and leaders in their communities after they graduate. She currently serves as the director of secondary programs.

Canchola is also a deeply committed community leader and has been involved with local and statewide advocacy efforts for causes including women’s and children’s issues, immigrant rights, California Democratic Party efforts, and community safety. Two of the most valuable skills Canchola learned at UCR were to be curious and ask questions, she said.

“As a first-generation student, there were many things I didn’t understand but yearned to,” she said. “At times, my inquiries and perspectives made others uncomfortable because they were not used to being questioned by someone from an immigrant Latina lens, but that was okay. Still now, I want us to have uncomfortable conversations so that together we work on finding common ground.”

Canchola’s commitment to UCR has made a true impact, said Jorge Ancona, assistant vice chancellor of alumni engagement. Among many contributions, Canchola helped start a previous iteration of UCR’s Chicano Latino Alumni Association in the early 1990s. The chapter has since gone on to fundraise and award tens of thousands of dollars to UCR students.

“Josefina’s care and dedication to UCR is extensive. She has been an active volunteer for years, serving as a mentor, a speaker at events, and an advocate at our annual UCR Advocacy Day in Sacramento,” Ancona said. “Through her volunteer work and generosity of spirit, Josefina exemplifies that when Highlanders succeed, it is important to lend a hand to those who come after them. We are excited to welcome the first Latinx president, and we feel incredibly proud that it is Josefina.”

Canchola’s list of awards and honors is extensive, with several community and national organizations recognizing her contributions to youth educational access. In 2017, Canchola received President Obama’s Community Service Award for her years of participation in the Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD) National Conference’s Planning Committee; LEAD is an organization that promotes educational equity for underserved students. In 2023, she was appointed as Whittier Union High School District 3 board trustee and is running as the incumbent during November’s general election.

Canchola’s list of awards and honors is extensive, with several community and national organizations recognizing her contributions to youth educational access. In 2017, Canchola received President Obama’s Community Service Award for her years of participation in the Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD) National Conference’s Planning Committee; LEAD is an organization that promotes educational equity for underserved students. In 2023, she was appointed as Whittier Union High School District 3 board trustee and is running as the incumbent during November’s general election.