Vanessa Sans Kattebek, a teacher at Phoebe Hearst Elementary and second vice president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, spoke on behalf of Sacramento City Unified and the association to mark Hispanic Heritage Month and highlight a local mural project that honors Chicana‑Latina activists.

Sans Kattebek described the Poderosas mural project, which celebrates nine Chicana‑Latina leaders from the Sacramento Valley region who “have engaged in social justice and advocacy,” and encouraged viewers to learn more at sagpoderosas.org.

She also outlined the work of Maricela Hernandez, saying Hernandez “has committed her life to advocating for higher education opportunities for underrepresented communities.” Sans Kattebek said Hernandez co‑wrote and directed a project titled We Are Not Strangers to Untold Stories of Dreamers, co‑authored a work rendered in Spanish and English as Dando un Corazón Fuerte para Luchar / Give Us a Heart Strong Enough to Struggle, and contributed to an introduction to ethnic studies intended for use in Sacramento high schools for ninth‑grade students. Sans Kattebek said Hernandez serves as a senior specialist at the Foundation for California Community Colleges and works with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office as part of the Undocu Liaison Network.

Sans Kattebek also said Hernandez founded the Sacramento City College Dreamers group and helped establish the Sierra College Undocumented Student Center. She noted Hernandez served as co‑chair of the California Undocumented Higher Education Coalition’s Campus Resources Workgroup.

Sans Kattebek closed by directing listeners to sagpoderosas.org for more information on the mural and saying, “Or to learn more about Chicana Latina inspirational figures, you can always ask a teacher.”

The remarks were made as part of a public comment segment labeled Sac City Teaches Hispanic Heritage Month; no board action or vote was announced during the remarks.