Dennise Rocha Barrios

Dennise moved to the United States when she was 12 years old and is the daughter of Mexican farmworkers. Her work in college access is rooted in her personal experience navigating education as an English-Learner and a first-generation undocumented Latina. Prior to joining DCAC, Dennise worked in the Office of Admissions at UC Merced and managed a college access program for immigrant and refugee youth in Nashville, Tennessee. She also served as the Associate Director of the Migrant Education Program in Tennessee, where she led a statewide effort to improve the educational outcomes of migrant students and families. Dennise developed programs that promoted higher education and self-advocacy in each of these roles and capitalized on students’ identity, knowledge, and experiences.  She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and an undergraduate degree in communications.  She enjoys hiking with her dog, Benito, visiting new coffee shops, and dancing.