Meriant Pacheco

I am Meriant Pacheco, an Afro-Latina immigrant committed to equity, a community advocate, and mother of two wonderful daughters. Upon graduating high school, I enrolled at John Jay University in New York to study criminal justice. After two years, I became interested in neuroscience, switched my major to psychology, and transferred to Hunter College, where I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2015. My own college journey drives my belief that education is best experienced through immersive opportunities throughout our lives.

At my current workplace, I innovated the existing onboarding process for new hires by making it more thorough and adaptive to employee needs including the development of a comprehensive onboarding handbook and peer mentorship program. Through this program, I mentored a small group of new hires in their first 6 months and followed them through the early stages of their career. Throughout my years in leadership as both a people manager, I've learned how vital it is to truly meet people where they are. I believe in offering resources and connections that not only complement individuals’ strengths but also nurture their journey toward personal and professional growth.

Being a vocal advocate for the Latinx community in my workplace has cemented my belief that we must make our voices and needs visible to make true, lasting change. I am passionate about providing the next generation of leaders the support they need to make their voices heard and their needs met by guiding marginalized high school students and their families through the transformative experience of achieving higher education.

Mery Pacheco

My name is Mery Pacheco (she/her) and I’m an Afro-Caribbean immigrant, writer, and coordinator working at the intersections of social justice, creative expression, and community engagement. I graduated from Yale University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, where I focused my research on student activism on campus.

Throughout my time as an undergraduate, I sought mentorship opportunities that allowed me to support students with similar challenges to those I encountered in my own educational journey. In the program Citizens, Thinkers, Writers, I served as a 1:1 mentor, helping high school seniors develop critical thinking skills, refine their writing, and complete their college application process. As an academic strategies mentor, I taught skills and strategy workshops for fellow students on topics such as time management, study planning, and managing a heavy reading load. I also served as a peer mentor for first-generation low-income (FGLI) students helping them to access personal and academic resources through 1:1 coaching and small group mentoring sessions.

In my current work as a project coordinator, I thrive when working directly with people to find creative resources that meet their needs, whether through organizing, cultivating community spaces, or creating resources that facilitate connection and efficiency. I look forward to continuing to support students from all backgrounds to explore the possibilities of their academic journey.