Alejandra Ceja at the Department of Education,
San Jose, CA, April 2014.
Alejandra with her mom Juana Ceja in Washington, D.C.
October 7, 2015.
“We need to talk about
the importance of early learning
in our community. We need to tal k
about the importance of STEM
access and, most importantly, we
need to talk about the importance
of college and career readiness.
That's what I'm bringing
”
to the table.
Alejandra with Students 2 Science students,
Newark, NJ, May 7, 2018.
Ceja had seen in her life what effort, faith
and preparation could lead to from her parents
who came to the U.S. looking for the American
Dream. Drawing inspiration from her parents,
and leaders like Sylvia Méndez and Dolores
Huerta, Ceja’s biggest leap came from her
stint in the Class of 2005 at the National
Hispana Leadership Institute fellowship
where she reflected on her personal and
professional journey.
Soon after, she realized she needed to
make a change and decided to leave her
federal government job to work on Capitol
Hill. It was a life-changing decision that allowed
her to pursue her biggest passion: being a
student advocate.
Today, Ceja advocates for students by
providing education opportunities through the
Panasonic Foundation, a non-profit foundation
whose mission is to break the links between
race, poverty, and educational outcomes by
improving the academic and social success of
all students.
“My passion is getting students to be
successful from cradle to career,” she says.
“We need to talk about the importance of
early learning in our community. We need to
talk about the importance of STEM access
and, most importantly, we need to talk about
the importance of college and career readiness.
That's what I'm bringing to the table.”
Since Ceja practices the philosophy of
“cradle to career”, she believes partnerships
with community organizations is the best way
to put this into practice.
“We want to partner with organizations
that are trying to change the game for
students and giving them exposure and access
to imagine the infinite possibilities that exist
if you get an education,” says Ceja
And with that idea in mind, along with
impacting their community, the Panasonic
Foundation recently presented a $1.5 million
grant to Students 2 Science Newark Technology
Center in Newark, NJ. This is one of the
many commitments Ceja and the Foundation
have made to help students know their
possibilities. This type of commitment is
what drew Ceja to the Foundation.
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