In this alumni spotlight, we spoke with Ramon Quintero (BA Geography 2010, BA Ethnic Studies 2012), whose career has focused on advancing equity in housing and urban planning. From his first Human Geography class at community college to his current role at UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, he reflects on how Geography shaped his critical lens and continues to inspire his work today.
What first sparked your interest in Geography?
I started out as a nontraditional student at Rio Hondo College. The Human Geography course I took there really hooked me—I loved being able to think about the world at such a large scale. Around the same time, I enrolled in a GIS course and realized that Geography wasn’t just about ideas; it could also be a pathway to a career. That combination of critical thinking and practical skills drew me in.
What was your experience like studying Geography at UC Berkeley?
Every class I took at Berkeley blew my mind. Suddenly I was questioning concepts as basic as what “North” even is. My professors—people like Gill Hart, Jake Kosek, Michael Watts, and Richard Walker, who was a key mentor for my undergraduate honors thesis—pushed us to think critically and challenged dominant narratives. Those courses gave me a strong foundation in critical theory, Marxist thought, and ideological analysis, all of which continue to shape how I approach my work today.
Was there a particular class that stood out to you?
Yes—Development Studies 100 with Gill Hart. That course taught me how to read the world through a critical lens. I learned that actions often presented as purely economic are actually deeply ideological. That ability to question narratives, demystify propaganda, and think for myself has been invaluable in my career.
You also pursued Ethnic Studies at Berkeley. How did your dual degrees connect?
Geography and Ethnic Studies complemented each other in powerful ways. Geography taught me how to map out power—how local and global processes co-produce one another—and Ethnic Studies grounded that in histories of race, identity, and inequality. Together, they gave me the analytical tools I still rely on every day.
What did your career path look like after graduation?
Right after finishing at Berkeley, I worked for the City of Vallejo on participatory budgeting projects, where residents got to decide how to allocate part of the city’s budget. That led me into low-income housing development in San Francisco, then into environmental planning with the Florida Department of Health. After that, I returned to the Bay Area and worked at Urban Habitat, a nonprofit focused on equity in regional planning.
Eventually, I earned a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA, and for the past two years I’ve been working as a project analyst at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. My job is to evaluate state pilot programs on equity issues like housing, mobility injustice, and city planning, and then translate that research into policy recommendations.
Can you share an example of a project you’ve worked on?
One project I’m especially proud of focused on cleaning up brownfields—polluted land that’s often in prime urban locations but left unused because of contamination. Our research helped inform a $390 million state initiative to remediate these sites and turn them into affordable housing, green space, and pedestrian infrastructure. If you go to Brooklyn Basin in Oakland today, you can see the results: a once-inaccessible waterfront now has affordable senior housing, parks, and walkable spaces. It was a huge battle to make sure low-income residents benefitted, but Geography taught me to see those battles as part of a bigger structural story.
What role does Geography play in the kind of work you do?
Geography helps you map out power. Everyone knows there are problems—whether in housing, the environment, or equity—but Geography gives you the “how, what, and why.” It teaches you to see connections between the human and natural world, to analyze history, and to hold judgment rather than take things at face value. Those critical thinking skills are the most important thing I took from the department, and they continue to inspire the work I do today.
What advice would you give to current students considering Geography?
First, take Geography courses! They give you both a global and local perspective, which is essential for understanding big issues. I’d also say: make sure you build both your critical thinking and your technical skills. Theories and frameworks will help you understand the world, but hard skills like GIS and cartography can help you land a job right after graduation. And above all—learn how to think for yourself. That’s the skill that will carry you the farthest.