Yvette Vargas, a second-year student in the UC Berkeley School of Information’s Master of Information and Management Systems (MIMS) program, is both a Senior Consultant with the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic and a 2024 Berkeley Human Rights Center Fellow, making her the first I School student to participate in these two hands-on programs. Yvette spoke with CLTC to discuss her experience in each of these programs — and how they have expanded her academic and career aspirations.
Yvette works at the intersection of data science, tech law, and human rights policy, a focus firmly rooted in her upbringing in California’s Inland Empire, which has undergone rapid transformation in recent years. “In 2020, the Inland Empire exploded into a logistics hub, through which 40% of the nation’s goods pass,” Yvette said. “However, as the logistics industry thrived, low-income, Black, and Brown communities were displaced as warehouses were built, leading to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, asthma rates, heatwaves, and overall environmental degradation.” Yvette’s experience produced a deep resolve to help her community during the course of her studies at the School of Information.
As a 2024 Berkeley Human Rights Center Fellow, Yvette developed a prototype database to consolidate environmental justice information. Her goal was to make more data accessible to environmental justice advocates and community members in the Inland Empire. The project was conducted in partnership with a nonprofit organization, where Yvette saw firsthand how nonprofits often have little technical support. “For me, the biggest challenge was not just communicating the technical significance of something to an audience that never heard any of these tools before, but more importantly, earning a community’s trust and being part of the shared space between community members and an organization,” Yvette said.
Alexey Berlind, Associate Director for the Human Rights Center’s Fellowship Program, reflected on Yvette’s participation in the Fellowship. “Yvette was a wonderful addition to our 2024 Human Rights Center Fellows cohort. She brought an immediate enthusiasm and proved a very supportive and encouraging member of the group for the other students in the cohort as well,” Alexey said.
Yvette’s impact was made clear at the Fellowship Conference in October 2024, when a contingent of staff from the organization flew in to celebrate Yvette’s presentation. “The fact that they made the trip said so much about Yvette’s work with the organization and the mutual respect and admiration she and the staff shared,” Alexey said “It was inspiring to all of us, and a great reminder of how impactful a fellowship can be for both a student and a community.”
Yvette continued to explore her interest in human rights and technology through the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic, which trains students to provide pro bono digital security assistance to nonprofit partners. Yvette had heard about the Cybersecurity Clinic during her first semester at the I School. She kept the elective course in mind as she pursued her required coursework, but questioned whether cybersecurity was right for her academic and professional aspirations. “As a nontraditional [student] and former career changer, I had experience and encounters working with nonprofits, but never had I navigated cybersecurity,” Yvette said.
After speaking with Elijah Baucom, UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic Director and Instructor for INFO289, as well as clinic alumni, Yvette felt that her unique experience would be an asset for working with the Clinic’s client base.
Through the Clinic, Yvette worked with an organization focused on environmental justice that had suffered a digital attack. Yvette’s team worked to develop a tailored action plan for the client, including secure organizational practices, tips for threat identification, and an incident response plan. Yvette’s interdisciplinary team brought a broad scope of experience, which helped build trust with the organization and communicate technical solutions to the organization’s staff. “I think students with non-technical backgrounds are becoming an asset. The ability to see different perspectives is what I believe makes a strong contributor to the clinic,” Yvette said.
Yvette is continuing her interest in public interest technology as a 2025 Spring Cohort Lead and Fellow with the Paragon Policy Fellowship, providing her a chance to work on science and tech policy issues at the state and local level. With graduation approaching, she is seeking opportunities to be more involved in tech policy and law. “Ideally, I would like to work with an entity that has been engaging with these topics and be of support for those in need of help,” Yvette said.
Elijah Baucom praised Yvette’s work with the clinic, “Yvette has been a joy to teach and get to know,” Elijah said. “Her ability to lead with compassion, authenticity, and resonance continues to amaze me. I am excited to see what the future holds for Yvette, and I know she is destined for continued greatness.”
