OUR TEAM
ERICK DIAZ
Erick Diaz is the Founder of Elevate and has successfully helped first-gen students apply to competitive grad school programs and fellowships for several years. A first-gen college student from San Diego, CA, Erick built his professional background in affordable housing development -- working in affordable housing development and finance, and serving on education and neighborhood planning boards. His passion for empowering other first-gen students was sparked by his own experiences in graduate programs and fellowships serving underrepresented students. Erick holds a Master in Public Policy and a Master in Urban Planning from Harvard University, and is a graduate of the University of San Diego with a BA in International Relations.
SASHA PELLERIN
For over a decade, Sasha has worked to improve systems of juvenile justice, education, and resource access/accountability. As a first-generation college student from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she believes that quality education is an alternative to youth in detention; a long-term economic investment in our economy; and a scaffold out of poverty. Education is her passion. Sasha holds a Master in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds a B.A. from the University of New Mexico in Political Science and Spanish.
TASHA GRIFFITHS
Tasha understands how education can transform people's lives. As a result, she has spent several years in higher education planning and management, including her previous work as supervisor of Fellowships in the Office of Public Interest Advising at Harvard Law School. Tasha joined HLS from UC San Diego, where she worked in the Graduate Division, coordinating program reviews and doctoral committee constitutions. She also worked as a Development Manager for YALLA, a small nonprofit providing first-gen & refugee youth with the tools to succeed in the classroom & apply to college. A first-generation college student herself, she received her BA in international relations from the University of San Diego. Tasha is currently pursuing her Master's in Environmental Management at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.