President's Office

Foothill College Student Poet Laureate

With support from the President’s Foothill Experience Fund, Foothill College begins what it hopes to be a longstanding annual tradition: to name a Student Poet Laureate, an individual who will be an advocate for student voice, fostering an understanding of and appreciation for the critical role of poetic expression in creating a sense of belonging and justice.

Meet Marvin Hernandez Flores

We are pleased to introduce Marvin Hernandez Flores as our inaugural Student Poet Laureate, 2025-26. Watch Marvin's poetry reading and address during Foothill's 2025 commencement ceremony.

 

Marvin was selected for this role for his demonstrated passion for poetic expression; his understanding of the relationship between language and social justice; and his commitment to fostering student voices.

Apart from being a poet, Marvin considers himself to be a teaching artist and community organizer. In 2024, he won the Youth Speaks Bay Area Slam and had the honor of representing the Bay Area at the Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam in Washington, D.C. As a first-generation student, his work is rooted in the Chicano condition and its ties to migration and the broader undocumented struggle.

Marvin reflects, “For me, writing has always been a political responsibility, and with that comes stories of my family and community that are typically never spoken of. Especially in light of the current administration and the systemic targeting of our communities, poetry has become one of the many tools of resistance we now have.”

Outside of campus, Marvin leads poetry workshops in local schools and community spaces to teach that very truth, focusing much of his energy to underserved and underrepresented youth throughout the South Bay.

Marvin is also the president of Los Jaguares, a student-led organization at Foothill College committed to political education, advocacy, and holistic community care. Through culturally grounded programming and activism, we support the spiritual, physical, and mental well-being of Latino students and the broader community we’re part of.

Poet Laureate Winter 2026 Convocation 

Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Noon–2 p.m. Location TBD

We are planning a special student-centered event, where you’ll experience Marvin’s poetry, hear about his collaborations — including with Foothill music students, and learn about his upcoming campus performances and poetry workshops. 

Please check back or look for Poet Laureate event information in upcoming Foothill messaging channels. We'll provide more details as soon as we have them. 

Then join us to be in community with each other and poetry —  during a time when poetic expression matters more than ever.

Pictured: Marvin Hernandez Flores welcomes American labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta to Foothill in October 2025, during which he performed a poetry reading.