Dr. Julian Nava, born June 19, 1927 in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, grew up in East Los Angeles. Upon his return from the U.S. Navy Air Corps in 1945, he studied at East Los Angeles Community College before transferring to Pomona College. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History and later earned his doctorate in Latin American History from Harvard University. In 1967, he ran for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education and became the first Hispanic to serve on the county-wide board. In 1980, Dr. Nava was the first Mexican-American appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.