Valerie Gómez is the Programs Director at MANA de San Diego, a nonprofit community organization that empowers and supports Latinas at every stage of their lives. In this role, she coordinates four programs and multiple initiatives that serve over 200 Latina youth and women across the San Diego region. Valerie is also a rising fourth-year PhD student at the University of California, San Diego. Her research examines how race, ethnicity, gender, and immigration status mediate the academic trajectories of Latina students in higher education. Valerie has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UCLA and a master’s degree in counseling with an option in student development in higher education from CSULB.