Driven by a commitment to serving as the best resource, advocate, and leader for his community, Sergio Rodriguez Camarena has dedicated his career to helping people feel a true sense of belonging and access the resources they need to thrive.  

As an undergraduate at Pomona College, Sergio was dedicated to increasing access to higher education for first-generation, low-income, and undocumented students. Following graduation, he joined the Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC), where he represented immigrants in New York City as a U.S. Department of Justice-accredited representative. Working with immigrant communities during the first Trump Administration, Sergio witnessed firsthand how policy decisions shaped people’s lives. As an immigrant himself and a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the work felt both personal and urgent.

After transitioning from direct legal services to systems-level work at the Vera Institute of Justice, Sergio began asking bigger questions about belonging, opportunity, and the structures that determine who has access to both.

“I wanted to help people feel like they belonged and had the power to contribute to their communities,” he said. “But not everyone had a lawful right to live or remain in the United States, and I rejected that vision of belonging contingent on legal status.”

That realization ultimately led him toward policymaking.

In 2020, Sergio joined Vera California, where he worked at the intersection of immigration and criminal justice policy. “It was here that really shaped how I think about this work—that the fight to end mass incarceration was inextricably linked with the fight to end mass detention and deportation of immigrant communities.”

Inspired to deepen his policy expertise, Sergio enrolled at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, in a fully funded graduate program, and earned a Master in Public Affairs. His first job out of Princeton was Arnold Ventures as a research manager on the criminal justice team, bringing together his background in immigration, criminal justice, and evidence-based policymaking.

The experience also introduced him to a new avenue for creating impact: philanthropy.

“That’s where I first learned about the role that philanthropy plays in our society and how to maximize social good through grantmaking,” he said. 

Now, as Senior Program Manager for Smart Justice at Michelson 20MM, Sergio is focused on building upon the foundation of the Smart Justice portfolio, while exploring how philanthropy can support more preventative approaches to public safety and well-being.

“Building a safer society requires more than any single intervention,” he said. “It means building a continuum of care across all stages of life, expanding access to resources, creating workforce development opportunities, and giving people the foundation to lead full and dignified lives.”

In Sergio’s own words, learn more about what motivates his work, what excites him about joining Michelson 20MM and where he sees opportunities for impact. 

1. What drew you to this work?

What drew me toward justice work is my own lived experience. I grew up in a heavily policed community, where undocumented families were taught to live in fear rather than in safety. That left a mark. I’ve since then have worked to better understand what actually delivers safety—and in doing so, it’s led me to philanthropy, where I get to fund innovative and data-driven projects that aim to do just that. 

2. What excites you most about joining Michelson 20MM?

What excites me most is the opportunity to lead the Smart Justice portfolio and inform its future strategic direction. I am excited to build a Smart Justice portfolio that is evidence-driven and unafraid to invest in the kind of long-term, upstream change that communities have needed for generations.

3. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I’ve always believed that the status quo should never be the ceiling on what we’re willing to dream. When it comes to safety and community, we have inherited structures that were not designed with everyone in mind, and that means we have both the opportunity and the obligation to do better. My approach to this work is grounded in that conviction: that a more just, more humane, and more effective system is not only possible, but within reach, if we’re bold enough to pursue it.

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About Michelson 20MM

Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation working toward equity for underserved and historically underrepresented communities by expanding access to educational and employment opportunities, increasing affordability of educational programs, and ensuring the necessary supports are in place for individuals to thrive. To do so, we work in the following verticals: Digital Equity, Intellectual Property, Smart Justice, Student Basic Needs, and Open Educational Resources (OER). Co-chaired and funded by Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson 20MM is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations.

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