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Lynwood Patch Latino recently sat down with Briseida Gonzalez, newly elected member of the Lynwood Unified School District Board of Education, to discuss her motivations and goals in running for school board.

Gonzalez describes herself as a “product” of the Lynwood community, as she was raised in Lynwood and feels a very close connection to the community. Since her youth, she said she was always encouraged by her parents to do whatever was necessary to excel in school. That support, Gonzalez said, led her to be the first in her family to attend college.

“My parents always pushed school, and because of them, I always continued,” she said.

Gonzalez is a graduate student at the USC School of Social Work, where she is studying community organization, planning and administration. She is in her second and final year of the program and will graduate in May 2012.

After a campaign that kept her and her family busy, Gonzalez was elected into office. She was sworn in on Dec. 7 and will hold office for the next four years.

While running for office and attending a full-time graduate program may seem daunting, it is all part of Gonzalez's plan to help others, she said.

“My main push is to facilitate the process for students to do their best,” she said. “There are a lot of barriers in our community, such as cultural, economic, language barriers that don’t let students succeed.”

To attempt to break down these barriers, Gonzalez said she plans to work hard to connect the school district with community resources, both academic and non-academic. For example, she said she plans on reaching out to those who provide food and counseling services to bring more of resources into the schools.

“I want to create more community engagement, and at different levels to bring more resources into the school,” she said, “especially in the areas of support that help students perform better.”

Gonzalez said she is trying to work with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) to host workshops for parents on how they can help their children succeed in school.

To learn more about Gonzalez and connect with her, visit her Facebook page.