Director, Latinx Student Center, San Francisco State University

Although Emmanuel Padilla spent his early childhood in an almost exclusively Spanish-speaking community in the Mission district, he grew up in San Francisco’s Portola neighborhood. The inclusive, highly diverse community shaped his values and inspired him to work in education and support underrepresented students;

Emmanuel attended E.R. Taylor Elementary School (a SCORES site today) as an ESL student;  MLK Middle School; Thurgood Marshall High School; UC Davis, majoring in Community and Regional Development; and USF, earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership. His academic journey was accelerated through the opportunities he seized along the way, including his participation in the University of California's Early Academic Outreach Program and the U.S. Department of Education's McNair Scholars Program.

Emmanuel has held multiple professional roles in education and outreach, including working as a Teach for America fellow, a college access and internship counselor for underrepresented and educationally disadvantaged students through UCSF, and an academic outreach coordinator. Today he serves as the inaugural director of the Latinx Student Center at San Francisco State University.

In his spare time, Emmanuel loves playing pick-up soccer, immersing himself in sports-related biographies, and taking great walks.