At UC Merced, Santiago’s curiosity about political behavior and societal inequalities drove him to become a research lab assistant for the Political Science department on campus. There, Santiago developed a passion to fight the stigma surrounding Homelessness. This passion led him to join the Affordable Housing Coalition in Merced CA, where he worked with representatives from the Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability, fighting to promote and advance Merced residents’ housing priorities through policy and legal advocacy. Upon graduating from UC Merced, Santiago continued his education with California Common Cause, where he received organizing and activism training. Santiago aspires to create his own non-profit organization to fight homelessness through public policy. Santiago spends his free time reading stoic philosophy.