I was raised in a family where values such as justice, compassion, love, honesty, empathy

are the main core of our lives. I grew up seeing good examples from my parents, helping others
and fighting for the right reasons, for justice. As a Latina woman, I am a very passionate person
and express my beliefs with honesty. I care about other people, especially those in need, I listen
to them and I learn from them, using any opportunity to share my learnings with others. I live
my life to the fullest. I am always curious and not afraid of trying new things; instead, I see them
as learning opportunities. I know my strengths and my areas for improvement and I know how
to navigate through any situation. I have been through hard times, experienced challenges, and
always overcame obstacles and come back stronger. I really feel proud of my values and my
heritage, and I am doing my best to help myself, my family, my friends and my community to
progress and strive.
My values and background made me interested in and start advocating for international
students, working to make others aware of their challenges adapting to the US. As a professional
woman leader, I care what other people think and listen to their opinions. One of the seven
principles of best practices in student affairs from Good Practice in Student Affairs Uses
Systematic Inquiry to improve student and Institutional Performance, which I reviewed when I
took Best Practices in Student Services (SDAD 5700), said that if you want to know what a
student think, you should ask him/her (Blimling & Whitt, 1999). This is what I do and try to
teach other professionals to do. Instead of making assumptions about what international students
may need, or trying to apply theories developed for students born and raised in the US, lets just
ask and listen to them!

Reference
Blimling, G. S., & Whitt, E. J. (1999). Good practice in student affairs: Principles to foster
student learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.