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Inspired to Lead and Driven to Serve: Meet GlobalMindED Class of 2018's Valeria Aguillon
Meet GlobalMindED 2018 First Gen Grad, Valeria Aguillon. Valeria went to the City College of San Francisco for her undergraduate degree and then went on to get her Master's in Education from San Francisco State University. She now works in San Francisco in the Education department, providing culturally sensitive, multi-generational, community-based services primarily focused on underserved families.
What impact did GlobalMindED have on your professional success?
One of the highlights from the 2018 GlobalMindED conference was meeting Janet Napolitano. Ms. Napolitano gained much recognition as US Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013 and served as the president of the University of California from 2013 to 2020. During her time as Secretary, she was at the forefront of the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, which brought much relief to over 800,000 undocumented young people like me.
I felt seen during my time at the GlobalMindED conferences, and one of the key takeaways from seeing Janet Napolitano was her words: “There’s a difference between leadership and management...with leadership, you have to learn how to take risks.” Hearing her words marked me and inspired me to become a better leader and team player, whether personally or professionally. I can say that GlobalMindED made me more aware of the ever-changing educational world, and it makes me hopeful for what the future holds.
I originally heard about GlobalMindED through my college readiness program First Graduate. When I arrived at the conference, I knew I was at the right place as I got to network with many individuals who were also first-generation college students from all over the country and from different parts of the world. The diversity of the speakers and presenters who shared their experiences to get to where they were professionally gave me a new perspective that one day I could reach my professional goals and inspire others. GlobalMindED also played a pivotal role in my education as it reaffirmed my interest in the importance of higher education.
What is your personal/professional story?
I currently work in an Agency in San Francisco in the Education department, providing culturally sensitive, multi-generational, community-based services primarily focused on underserved families. Despite the difficulties in life, my goals never changed. As an adult, I can see that all the sacrifices my family made by moving to another country have all been worth it.
I was born in El Salvador and when I was nine years old my family had to leave the country due to the high rate of violence. My family and I had to start from scratch in San Francisco and had to learn a language that was completely new to us all. It was a rough transition trying to start elementary school with a curriculum that was not intended for English learners. At the early age of nine, I promised myself that one day I would be able to not only be fluent in English but that I would one day partake in the educational system. I was accepted into Lowell High School, one of San Francisco’s top public high schools, after which I decided to attend community college since it was the most affordable option for my family. After completing my transfer requirements at the City College of San Francisco, I graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Minor in Human Sexuality Studies.
I later pursued Graduate school at the University of San Francisco, where I received a Master’s degree in Organization and Leadership in 2022 from the School of Education. I am more than proud to say that I am a first-generation college graduate and that I graduated without any debt as I received scholarships that paid for all my higher education studies.'
Can you share a turning point in your life that sparked your interest in helping others succeed?
Schooling has been a significant part of me as a student, but seeing how the schooling system worked, and how only certain students had opportunities that others did not, truly intrigued me. Oftentimes, it seemed as though there was a lack of resources for students like me. As the ideology and methodology challenged my educational development, the educational system that I was being exposed to was full of prejudice and intolerance toward low-income, immigrant students.
My passion for helping others and observing interactions among students sparked to a deeper extent as I took introductory sociology courses. While simultaneously serving as a peer mentor with a community organization called First Graduate which I had been a part of as I was growing up, I worked with middle school students. The courses I had taken dissected how society constantly oppressed marginalized groups, and how this actively affects individuals' educational level as well as their long-term mental and physical health. Therefore, I looked for ways in which my mentees could feel supported and connected as they were navigating a system that was unknown to them while showing them that their goals could be attained through their hard work and effort.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
My passion to serve comes from the people around me. I have always been surrounded by people who have inspired me in one way or another. My family has always been extremely supportive of my educational goals, and they have taught me that I need to remember where I come from and always remember how all my experiences have shaped me to become the person I am. I have had multiple mentors who have shown me the importance of being resourceful with what once had.
As I became older, I had to take the role of becoming the mentor, and by serving as one, there is always a positive impact on someone else’s life. I believe that this reminds us to stay grounded, gives us a purpose, and can make us feel fulfilled as we can see how doors open to other individuals.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
During my second year in college, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, I felt more pressure being added to my life, both mentally and physically. When I found out about the news it was during the mid-term period, which is one of the most stressful times in the semester. I believe that this was one of the most significant experiences I had that not only marked my personal life but also my educational journey. Many thoughts went across my mind, and I considered taking the semester off so I could focus on my mother’s health. But I soon realized that I could not just stop there. I also thought that taking a semester off would postpone my goal of transferring to a four-year institution. I decided to stay in school and continue as a full-time student while taking care of my mother.
My mother did not speak fluent English, therefore I helped her navigate the hospital and translate instructions from doctors. My bilingual ability has helped those around me, as many fellow Spanish speakers needed my translation, particularly for medical documents. My leadership skills also came into play, since I had to step out of my comfort zone to aid those who needed my help. During this time, I learned valuable lessons, and it also brought my family closer.
What does success look like to you, on your own terms?
Success to me is being able to learn from my past mistakes and pushing myself out of my comfort zone while embracing new challenges to achieve my personal and professional goals. Success, to me, means being able to wake up each morning and feeling content with who I truly am, being able to do what I love each day, and feeling satisfied with the work I do. Success is not measured in material wealth but rather stems from nurturing meaningful relationships and connections to make the world a better place for those around us. Success is having my family look at me and be proud of who they see. Success is being the person my community needs, someone they can rely on rooting from a sense of contribution to something greater than oneself.
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