Hello, my name is Rubén Pizarro. I was born and raised in Salinas and am proud to be a product of this vibrant agricultural valley. As a young man, I experienced some trauma, made some bad choices, and earned very poor grades in high school. I was “lost” and didn’t have a clue about what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to make my parents proud. I started my higher education journey at Santa Barbara City College and later completed my undergraduate degree with high honors in Sociology at UC Santa Barbara (Go Gauchos!).
Wanting to make a difference for working-class families, I attended Santa Clara Law School where, as a second-year law student, I co-founded the East San Jose Community Law Center (now the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center), which, more than 25 years later, is still providing free legal services to hundreds of low-income families each year. I went on to become a staff attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance in Salinas, where I represented farmworkers for several years before beginning to teach Government & Economics at Alisal High School in 1999.
My family and I founded the Salinas Valley Dream Academy because of our intense desire to give back to the community that has given us so much and to provide young people with the opportunities and personal and collective empowerment they need to reach their full potential and shine like the stars they are! My values and vision were instilled in me by my parents, Domingo and Lucila Pizarro, who immigrated from Durango, Mexico, so their children could have a better life. My wife, Lorena Silva, was born in Sonora, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States in the fifth grade. My two children, Mariela and Marco, both graduated from Stanford University. Mariela is a second-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, and Marco just graduated with a computer science degree. I thank God for my family and that He has shown me grace and allowed me to use my time, talents, and treasures to serve Him and live a life of purpose by serving my family, my students, and my community. It is a privilege and an honor to be His ambassador! 🙏
“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”Romans 8:28