Marissa was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and moved to Colorado with her family when she was nine-years-old. Her experiences as an immigrant and an educator have inspired her professional pursuits. Prior to Princeton, Marissa served as a Regional Government Affairs Director at FWD.us, where she led FWD’s legislative advocacy efforts on immigration policy in Colorado and at the federal level. Marissa has been a leader in protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and has worked to recruit, train, and empower other directly impacted individuals to advocate for immigration reform before Congress. Prior to joining FWD.us, Marissa worked as an educator committed to increasing access to educational opportunities for immigrant youth and their families. In July of 2015, Marissa was one of nine educators with DACA to be honored by the White House as a Champion of Change. She was appointed to the Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Board of Trustees in 2019, becoming the first Dreamer to serve on a state board.