The Latinx First-Generation Professional Experience

1:45pm-3:15pm

Presenter: Valeria Garcia

Session Type: Workshop

Topic: Employment, income, and social mobility

Description

We will be exploring the experiences of Latinx first-generation professionals and the influences
of institutional norms. Attendees will be discussing their own experiences as professionals. The
discussions will be informed by findings from Enrique Velasco’s dissertation research,
“Exploring the Experiences of Latinx First-generation Professionals in Student Affairs” and
Valeria Garcia’s work with first-generation professionals.

Facilitators

Valeria Garcia, M.S.

Assistant Director of the UCLA Bruin Resource Center

Program Director, Undocumented Student Program

Program Director, Bruin Underground Scholars Program

UCLA

vgarcia@saonet.ucla.edu

Valeria Garcia is a formerly undocumented mujer whose life experiences navigating life as a
first-gen student and a professional has led her to build community, create access and advocate
with and for marginalized communities.
She is currently the Assistant Director of the UCLA Bruin Resource Center and in her role, she
oversees the Undocumented Student Program (US), Bruin Underground Scholars Program
(BUS) –programs aimed to create space for communities who are undocumented and formerly
incarcerated and/or impacted by the carceral system.
Additionally, she is the founder of the @firstgenprofessional network, where she has created
space to construct and deconstruct the experiences from first-gen students to first-gen
professionals.

Enriqe Velasco, Ed.D.

Enrique was born in Colima, Mexico and moved to northern California at the age of 5. Programs
such as Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, and the Educational Opportunity Program
(EOP) played key roles in his academic journey. He is a first-generation Latinx professional and
first in his family to graduate from high school, earn a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate.
Enrique has most recently worked at UC Santa Cruz managing their TRIO Educational Talent
Search and Cal-SOAP programs in east San Jose.