Brendan Rooks is the government affairs coordinator at Student Debt Crisis Center, where he handles legislative outreach and policy. He is an undergraduate student in International Affairs and Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside.

At UC Riverside, Brendan has worked with various campus lobby groups and campaigns, such as the Double the Pell Grant campaign, to advocate for more access to higher education. He also advocates for significant policy change in his role as a director of UCR’s Roosevelt Network chapter and organizing with AFSCME Local 3299. As a student loan borrower, Brendan has worked multiple jobs throughout his undergraduate career to support himself in his education. In his free time, he is a volunteer beekeeper and avid outdoorsman.