Sacramento State University and Stanford Sierra Youth & Families (Stanford Sierra) have formed a strategic partnership for over five years. Both entities have a common vision of improving the well-being and quality of life for vulnerable youth and their families in the community. Stanford Sierra supports the entire family with professional treatment and compassionate care, so every youth has the opportunity to thrive at home, in school, and in the community. In the coming year, Stanford Sierra’s community-based programs will benefit approximately 6,673 youth and families throughout Northern California, including Sacramento, Placer, Nevada, El Dorado, Yolo, Napa, and San Joaquin counties.

 Sacramento State’s support over the years has helped transform young people’s lives by providing them with the resources and stability they need to thrive. Together, Sacramento State University and Stanford Sierra are working to address the impacts of poverty, trauma, and systemic racism that lead to disproportionately higher rates of children of color in the foster care and juvenile justice systems and to inequities in our educational systems.  

Stanford Sierra is proud to have an active engagement of Sacramento State students in various volunteer, service learning, and internship opportunities with Stanford Sierra. Since 2015, Stanford Sierra has had over 50 interns from the university who are pursuing a degree in Social Work. Stanford Sierra currently has a total of 225 employees, approximately 25% represented by current and former Sacramento State students. Former students like Beatriz Lodia, a current Stanford Sierra employee.  

Beatriz graduated from Sacramento State in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. After graduation     
she became a youth advocate at Stanford Sierra, stepping into a role that required her to utilize both her education and lived experience to serve the diverse populations she was working with. She was instrumental in helping develop trainings for families, supporting the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) program, being lead support for youth advocates, and aiding in the success of our Wraparound Kaiser program. 

Beatriz has recently been promoted to the position of program manager in the Wonder Mentoring Program.  In her new role, Beatriz will be supporting the Wonder team in recruiting new mentors who are matched with local youth in foster care. Her role is critical in providing consistent support for matches, creating partnerships that help children impacted by foster care heal from trauma and experience relationships as a source of meaning, joy, and support. 

Beatriz and dozens of other Sacramento State students and alumni have contributed greatly to the impact that Stanford Sierra has on the youth and families we serve.  In the process, Sacramento State students and alumni have advanced their education, acquired valuable experience, and assumed positions of leadership that reflect well on their alma mater. We look forward to continuing and expanding this partnership as we work together to realize a vision of our community with safe, lifelong connections for all young people, built and strengthened through generations of empowered families. 

Learn more about our Career Pathways program here. 

Photo: Beatriz Lodia, Wonder Mentoring Program Manager, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families