Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Ratema received her initial political education as a high school youth through organizations like AYPAL and Forward Together’s former youth program, SAFIRE. She continued organizing at UC Berkeley – mentoring middle school students in San Pablo, CA and hosting events to increase college access to underrepresented API youth. The passion for her work is rooted in her Cambodian American identity and connection to her family as a daughter of refugees. Most recently, Ratema served as Operations Director at Center for Story-based Strategy for 7 years and is excited to support Grassroots Power Project’s operations team.
