211. GC Talks with Alejandra Valencia: Confronting Social Injustices and Educating the Next Generation of Leaders as a Daughter of Migrant Workers

Alejandra Valencia is an elementary school vice principal with over three decades of teaching experience. Her story starts with the struggles of moving to the US with her family from Mexico as undocumented migrants. Despite growing up with the stress of possibly seeing her parents get deported, she was intent on focusing her efforts on education. With the support and encouragement from her parents, she used education as a vehicle to empower herself and strengthen her voice to combat the injustices she witnessed in the manual labor her parents did. As an educator and Latina, she grew from encounters with people who showed her new possibilities of becoming. Alejandra is providing that same example for her students, teachers, and staff within the school community. With hope and strong faith, she believes that through education, new generations will rise above the obstacles and create pathways of peace. Enjoy the conversation!