Photos by jessdelamerced.com
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
PERSONAL STORY
Marissiko is an educator, scholar, organizer and practitioner committed to liberation through a process of abolition, reparations and decolonization/#landback. Raised in Los Angeles, California by a family rooted in values of love, compassion and generosity, Marissiko developed a complex understanding of identity and social injustice from an early age. Growing up in a predominantly Black community, she lived in the same household as her Japanese grandmother during a period of severe Black and Asian racial tensions in South Central, LA. As such, Marissiko witnessed the 1992 Riots up close and personal from a unique vantage point. During the era of Proposition 187, she attended a predominantly Latinx Spanish immersion school. These culminating experiences critically shaped her lens of the world and her engagement in community organizing and activism. Her early exposure to antiblackness, racial terror, political conflict and community solidarity placed her on a life-long journey of research, teaching, advocacy and activism.
PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY
Marissiko earned her B.A. in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine before going on to attain her M.A. in Higher Education/Student Personnel Administration from New York University. During her career as a practitioner in higher education, Marissiko has worked in a variety of areas including multicultural services, social justice education, service-learning, leadership development and residence life. Marissiko committed the majority of her academic career deepening her knowledge and understanding of identity, critical consciousness building and activism. In 2019, she completed her Ph.D in Urban Education Policy at the University of Southern California. Marissiko's research and practice specialize in equity-oriented leadership, identity development and organizational change.
CURRENT WORK
In addition to her independent diversity, equity and inclusion consulting practice, Marissiko is currently the Assistant Dean and Director of Scripps Community of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) at Scripps College — a women’s college in Claremont, California. Prior to this role she worked at the Center for Urban Education (CUE) and Race & Equity Center at the University of Southern California as a Project Manager and Postdoctoral Scholar. In response to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, she curated and organized a six-part webinar series funded by the California community college system, which focused on racial equity in virtual classrooms and student support services. Marissiko is also an active community organizer, and an Adjunct Professor in two graduate programs.