Harpreet Mangat, director of administration for UC Berkeley’s Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Programs, has spent her career fostering community engagement both at Cal and beyond. During last year's federal government shutdown, she helped lead a fund drive at her daughter’s school, Oxford Elementary in Berkeley, raising $4,700 in grocery gift cards to support families affected by disruptions to SNAP benefits.
Mangat worked with parents and school leadership to organize the effort, which is one of several initiatives she has led to support students and families.
In addition, she wrote two grants totaling $2,500 — PTA Connected: Ready, Tech, Go! and Voices of Impact — promoting the safe use of digital devices and social media for students at her daughter’s school.
Harpreet Mangat spoke to Berkeley Social Sciences about her efforts to support families in need during the federal shutdown, along with other initiatives she’s led at her daughter’s school.
What is your role at UC Berkeley, and how long have you been with the University?
Harpreet Mangat: I'm the director of administration for Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Programs (ISSP). I’ve been with the University for about eight years now, working in a few different roles across campus. I’ve always loved working with the amazing students, faculty and staff, and I'm really enjoying my current role. I started working as the director of administration for ISSP in August of 2025 after an NSF grant I had been working on was terminated. I now support three programs in ISSP — Political Economy, Global Studies and Cognitive Science — where I get to work with the wonderful faculty across all of them.
What motivated you to organize a fund drive to support SNAP recipients during the federal shutdown for your daughter’s school community?
Harpreet Mangat: During the federal shutdown, I was deeply concerned about the situation, as was the community at Oxford Elementary, my daughter Sophie’s school. Many families in our community were directly impacted. During the 2024-2025 school year, my daughter’s school was supported by Title I funding for low-income families. The whole Oxford community came together, and I helped lead the initiative and foster those conversations on how we can support our community. A lot of that came from my work on campus and my experience with community engagement.
How did you go about organizing the fund drive, and what made it successful?
Harpreet Mangat: When SNAP benefits were taken away, I felt that one immediate way we could help was by supporting families with groceries. I suggested that our school community come together to raise funds for grocery gift cards. Through posters and our school’s newsletter, we invited people to donate, and ultimately raised $4,700. I purchased grocery gift cards from Trader Joe's — my personal favorite — and Safeway. I wanted to make sure that all the families at Oxford Elementary have agency and dignity, so we handed the gift cards to our amazing principal to distribute the cards to families.
How did it feel to be able to support SNAP recipients during such a challenging time for many families?
Harpreet Mangat: It felt empowering to be able to do something for the larger community. But it was not just me, I think it felt good that our school’s community came together. At the same time, there was this realization at the back of my mind that there is so much more that needs to be done. Although it was a temporary situation, the need is real and still exists now. It’s a constant struggle, but at the end of the day, I’m really grateful we were able to make a positive impact.
What other charitable work have you done to help your daughter's school?
Harpreet Mangat: I also wrote and secured two grants for my daughter’s school. The grants — PTA Connected: Ready, Tech, Go! and Voices of Impact — focus on the use of digital devices and the impact of social media on students, which is an issue I care deeply about. Together, the grants totaled $2,500 and will fund a community event in the spring.
The event will bring together Oxford families, in partnership with our principal, to create space for open conversation and shared learning. Families will be able to talk about their concerns around digital devices and social media and learn from current research. As a parent in the public school system, I’ve always felt that my daughter has benefited from the collective influence of other families and their parenting approaches, so centering community learning in this event is meaningful to me.
