Three Alumnae Named Sacramento Latino Change Makers
Melinda Guzman, Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre and Lydia Ramirez attended UC Davis at different times, pursued different majors in the College of Letters and Science, and followed different paths to successful careers in law, business advocacy and banking.
Their paths converged at various times, most recently with a shared honor: each was named to The Sacramento Bee’s inaugural list of Top 25 Latino Change Makers for leading positive transformations in their communities.
All three women cited UC Davis as key to their success. They said their professors, courses and experiences outside the classroom helped them, as first-generation college students, develop the tools and confidence to make a difference in the world around them.
They remain devoted Aggies. Guzman is a former UC Davis Foundation trustee, and Rodriguez Aguirre and Ramirez are members of the board of directors for the Cal Aggie Alumni Association.
Melinda Guzman: Inspired by parents, professors
Guzman (B.A., political science, ’85; J.D. ’88) is an attorney and CEO of the Guzman Firm in Sacramento. Among achievements cited by The Bee, she served eight years as a board of trustees member for the 23-campus California State University system and serves as an independent director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. In 2014, she received the prestigious Ohtli Award from the Mexican government for leading a nonprofit organization, Cien Amigos, that works to enhance the lives of Mexican citizens in the Sacramento region.
Fundamental to her success, she said, were her UC Davis undergraduate and law school education and the support of her parents Amado and Anita Guzman. (Her three sisters — Sally, Ana Maria and Anita — also graduated from UC Davis, as did niece Amada.)
“My father was a railroad mechanic and had no formal education. My mother was a cotton picker and worked in fruit-packing sheds and never attended college. Notwithstanding the lack of formal education or college, our parents inspired us to dream, to work hard and to study.” — Melinda Guzman
During her undergraduate studies, two faculty deeply influenced her: Larry Berman, in political science, and Ada Sosa-Riddell, in Chicana/Chicano studies.
“While Professor Berman’s courses made clear the impact of the U.S. in a global economy, Professor Riddell’s classes also confirmed the importance of Latinos in that global economy and the impact on social-political issues within the United States,” she said. “Her teachings later proved to be so true given the importance of Latinos in society and elections today.”
Guzman said majoring in political science honed her abilities to ask questions and analyze issues — skills integral to her legal work.
“UC Davis professors, as a whole, encouraged students to always engage in critical analysis of all issues and to assess potential solutions. Those lessons and values continue with me today in whatever role I play, whether CSU trustee, bank director, community leader or attorney.”
Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre: ‘Lead with kindness’
Rodriguez Aguirre (B.A., rhetoric and communication, ’99) is president and CEO of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, one of the largest and most influential Latino organizations in the region.
“In this role, Rodriguez [Aguirre] has prioritized improving community resources and ensuring economic prosperity is attainable for all,” The Bee wrote. Before joining the chamber of commerce in 2012, she managed admissions outreach for the UC Davis School of Medicine, followed by a decade with The Bee as community relations representative and public affairs manager.
As leader of the SHCC, she serves as the voice of its 600 business members in the Sacramento region. UC Davis Magazine featured her in a 2017 story, “Capital Ideas,” about Aggie alumni giving the city new vibrance.
“As the first in her family to go to college, Rodriguez Aguirre is passionate about mentoring and rarely turns down an opportunity to meet and speak with students,” according to her Cal Aggie Alumni Association trustee bio. At the chamber, she oversees programs to mentor young entrepreneurs.
She said she started mentoring as a UC Davis undergraduate, participating in summer advising. “I loved being able to share experiences with incoming freshman and transfer students and help them as they started their UCD journey.”
After graduating, she launched her career doing admissions outreach for the UC Davis School of Medicine. “I have realized the common theme throughout my education and career has been to be in roles of service and to be that extra voice for those that need one,” she said. “I didn’t have a goal to be a change maker, but I have always been drawn to opportunities that had the possibility to make an impact for good.”
An experience as an actively engaged Aggie alumna revealed to her the power to change the world by lifting others up. Pre-pandemic, she participated in UC Davis' Chicanx/Latinx Graduation Celebration, giving each graduating student an alumni pin as they crossed the stage.
"I remember the overwhelming feeling of pride I had for all the students and their families — and, also, for me. I was on a stage with our chancellor and other dignitaries congratulating them. I was a long way from the 17-year-old that first stepped onto UC Davis. She would never have imagined that moment.” — Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre
Asked if she had advice for current undergraduates, Rodriguez Aguirre said: “Leadership is about service and empowering others. I have made a choice to lead with kindness. I believe that is my superpower. Take time to find yours. ... When you find yours, use it for good. The world can always use more good.”
Lydia Ramirez: Stepping up for representation
Ramirez (B.A., Spanish and psychology, ’03) is senior vice president, chief operations officer and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Five Star Bank. She established the bank’s DEI program.
She started her banking career as a junior at UC Davis, working part time at Union Bank to help pay her way her way through college. She credited her parents, blue-collar workers, with setting her up for success.
“It was not until I attended college that I truly understood what my dad and his family fought through to reach their dreams. As a first-generation Mexican American and the first in my family to attend college, it was important to me to not only pave my path, but to pave the path behind me and alongside for those that looked like me.” — Lydia Ramirez
At UC Davis, she found inspiration in the late Francisco X. Alarcón, a poet and longtime continuing lecturer in Spanish. “His story and love for our culture inspired my work within our community,” Ramirez said. “He would speak about our ancestry and the rights of immigrants. His poetry made me fall more in love with our vibrant history and culture that is woven between so many ancestral pathways. His fight for equity as a gay Chicano was inspiring, but more importantly his willingness to speak out and step up for those who were underserved was my why.”
As a high school senior, Ramirez received scholarships from the Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to attend college. The experience motivated her to give back in the same way. About 18 years ago, she became active in the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s scholarship committee. There she met Rodriguez Aguirre, who at that time managed The Bee’s scholarship program.
“Cathy and I met as budding professionals wanting to give back what was given to us. And we are both still doing this great work of giving back to those who are underserved and under-resourced, telling their stories and celebrating their successes (students or businesses or families) — and representing a community that continues to need role models, because representation matters.”
— Kathleen Holder, content strategist in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science