Aliya Chisti was born and raised in San Francisco and grew up in a low-income household. She attended Sunnyside, Aptos, and Lowell. In 2020, Aliya ran a grassroots campaign to fight for a seat on the City College Board of Trustees. Against all odds, she won, and achieved over 126,000 votes, placing in the top 3. Aliya made history in 2020, by becoming the first Muslim person elected to any position in San Francisco. She has dedicated her life to fighting for public education. She has over 10 years of experience in education, working in or on policies that impact schools. Aliya holds a Bachelors from UC Davis and a Masters in Education Policy from Columbia University, where she specialized in higher education policy.
EDUCATOR. STUDENT-FOCUSED. BORN & RAISED IN SF.
While studying education policy, Aliya also served as a researcher at New York University where she examined school segregation in New York City. In Washington DC, Aliya advised on early childhood education policies and higher education reforms for U.S. Senator Patty Murray. In 2017, she was nominated by the U.S. Department of State to serve as a Fulbright Scholar in North Macedonia, where she taught English and advised on higher education policies.
Aliya served as a legislative advisor on the Board of Supervisors to former Board President Malia Cohen. She drafted landmark legislation for the City of San Francisco to “Ban the Box,” prohibiting private colleges from asking criminal-justice related information on applications. Aliya was appointed to oversee the Free City College Program for the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families to turn the idea of free tuition into reality for tens of thousands of San Francisco residents.
Her connection to City College is deeply personal. Growing up, Aliya’s family did not have much, her mother struggled to make ends meet by selling goods at the flea market, while simultaneously taking ESL classes at City College. Aliya always saw City College from her kitchen window and her mother would tell her that it symbolized hope and truth. Like 1 in 6 residents in San Francisco, Aliya and her entire family have attended City College of San Francisco.
Aliya realized the transformative power of education at an early age as a student and eventually became a lead teacher at Aim High. She has taught in classrooms throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aliya understands how hard taxpayers work for every dollar they earn. Under her leadership, City College has accomplished balanced budgets and a successful financial audit after 25 years. As Chair of Student Success and Policy, Aliya led the process to eliminate $2 million dollars in student debt for over 14,000 students.
Aliya is fighting to ensure City College maintains a balanced budget, reaffirms accreditation, and prioritizes student success. She is an independent voice fighting for a brighter future for City College of San Francisco.
When she is not championing City College, Aliya runs an animal welfare and children’s education foundation in India.