Meet the 2026 JD Genesis Fellows

Jackie Aguilar

San Francisco State University

Midori Kimata

San Francisco Art Institute

Rachel Raps

University of California, Berkeley
Jackie Aguilar

Jackie Aguilar

San Francisco State University

Jackie Aguilar, from Coachella, California, is a first-generation Mexican American who earned her BA in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science from San Francisco State University and later completed a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration at the University of San Francisco. During her master’s program, her capstone project, “A New Pipeline: Building a Transformative Leadership Pipeline for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals,” explored innovative ways to create leadership pathways and development opportunities for system-impacted populations. Following graduation, Jackie pursued her passion for social justice within the nonprofit sector and joined Fresh Lifelines for Youth, an organization that empowers youth, breaks the school-to-prison pipeline, and advances justice across California. She first served as a Reentry Program Coordinator and currently serves as the STAY FLY Lead Case Manager, supporting system-impacted young adults in building stability, agency, and long-term success. Jackie aspires to attend law school to advocate for justice and represent the Latinx community. Outside of work, she enjoys staying active at the gym, attending sporting events, and spending quality time with family, friends, and her dog, Arlo.

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Midori Kimata

Midori Kimata

San Francisco Art Institute

Midori Kimata is an aspiring law student and a denizen of the world by way of Tokyo, New York, and the Bay Area. She is beyond jazzed to be a fellow at and be in community with JD Genesis. As a late bloomer, she graduated from San Francisco Art Institute with a BA in contemporary art history and later received her paralegal certificate from UC Berkeley. At present she is a legal assistant at Berkeley Law. She has also worked at California Lawyers for the Arts, a lawyer referral center for writers, artists, and inventors. In another life, she assisted in the production of the 15th annual International Queer Women of Color Film Festival. She volunteers as a doula during her spare time. Upon completing law school, she is devoted to becoming a trauma-informed and community-centered attorney. In the meantime, she can now proclaim herself as a cat lady thanks to her sweet cat Umi.

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Rachel Raps

Rachel Raps

University of California, Berkeley

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Rachel Raps serves as the Legal Programs Coordinator at the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Rachel coordinates pro bono programs serving thousands of low-income and self-represented litigants across family law, civil appeals, immigration, housing, and nonprofit matters. She leads the Community Organization Representation Project, which connects hundreds of nonprofits throughout Northern California with free legal counsel. Previously, Rachel assisted refugees with asylum applications and family reunification cases at the International Rescue Committee. As a research assistant, she co-authored a reanalysis of global refugee flows published by The American Political Science Review. Rachel graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Public Policy. During her time at UC Berkeley, Rachel reported on local politics and campus culture for The Daily Californian, serving as both a news reporter and night editor. In her free time, Rachel enjoys listening to music, sewing, and catching movies at the Roxie.

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