Presenter Profiles

Communications Studies Student at Santa Clara University

Ahira Foster is a rising senior at Santa Clara University majoring in Communication Studies and is pursuing law school upon graduating in the spring.  He also just finished his summer internship with VMware where he was able to work as a communication intern for the Global Communications team.

Accounting and Finance student at Santa Clara University

Alejandra is a motivated, self-starting, and goal-oriented person with proven abilities in helping uncomplicate the lives of executives and senior managers. Likewise, she is highly competent in the overall management of a professional office. She has flourished in her work in the areas of administration and finance. Additionally, she is a creative problem- solver with a talent to steam line processes, improve morale, resolve conflict and exceed realistic goals. Most importantly, she always bring personal integrity, honesty and strong work ethics in her profession. She just recently completed my summer internship and received a full time offer with KPMG upon graduation.

Founder and CEO, Silicon Valley Latino

Award-Winning Community Leader, Award-Winning Producer, Content Creator, Social Impact Entrepreneur, Cultura Curator and Empowerment Evangelist.  Alex is an award-winning community leader and social impact entrepreneur with an extensive range of professional experience and success in the areas of community development, PR, brand development, marketing, community engagement, community relations, business development, communications, and event design, event production, and event management.

Computer Science Student at Santa Clara University

Ana is a first-generation student studying computer science at Santa Clara University. She is passionate about problem solving and programming. Ana wants other women to consider computer science and is always willing to help open the door for them. 

Senior Customer Success Manager, Palo Alto Networks

Angela Flores Robertson is a Senior Customer Success Manager at Palo Alto. She has spent the last 20+ years working at some of Silicon Valley’s hallmark technology companies (NetFlix, Cisco Systems, Xilinx, Polycom).   Angela has been a champion in the account management of numerous Fortune 500 customers and a trusted advisor who harnesses her extensive experience to provide solutions to complex issues. Angela is a First Gen Professional who is native to San Jose and has deep roots in its history and culture.

Angela is passionate about growing the representation of Latino/Latina leaders in technology. Having come through the early years of tech and not seeing herself represented, Angela is actively involved in mentoring programs to help open doors for the next generation of Latino business leaders. Angela is part of the leadership team for Juntos (Employee Resource Group) at Palo Alto Networks and is actively helping to grow and establish more Latino professionals in the cybersecurity field. Angela believes that an education is the backbone to a strong professional future and active in supporting STEM programs through several organizations in the bay area. She is committed to mentoring the next generation in finding their paths in the technology field.

Enrollment Services Specialist, SCU One Stop

Ariana works at the SCU One Stop as an Enrollment Services Specialist. Ariana was a first generation student majoring in Studio Art during her undergraduate studies at SCU (Class of 2012). She likes to go hiking, camping and kayaking her husky Koda during her free time.

Donovan Riley

Residence Life Professional

Donovan Riley has been working in higher education for the last five years as a Residence Life professional. As an advisor, Donovan hopes to connect with students through all aspects of their academic journey.  Donovan enjoys supporting students through their transition into the university setting and creating opportunities for students to grow personally and professionally. Donovan believes in educational equity and works to provide resources and support for underrepresented students.

President, Latino Education Advancement Foundation

Edward Alvarez has extensive background and experience in the education sector. His education experience includes services on various advisory committees, including the Eastside Union High School District and the California Community Colleges Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs. He was elected to the Eastside Union High School District Board of Trustees and served a seven year term during which the District constructed 8 high schools. He served a 7 year term on the Board of trustees of Santa Clara University as well as the Board Real Estate and Finance Committee; he is a trustee Emeritus of the University as well as a member of the Role Model Board of Trustees, an elementary school mentor program. During his law practice tenure, he represented the Mission-DeAnza Community College District and was instrumental in the information of the formation of the Mission-DeAnza Community Foundation, including the creation of enabling legislation required by law.

Account Manager, Creative Media Strategy, LinkedIn

Gabriel has over 10 years of strategic partnership, media production, and instructional design experience. After graduating from San Jose State University, his career in media began as a music video producer and editor in the Hip-Hop and R&B scene. During this time, he also led professional development workshops at tech-ed conferences as a LEAD Educator for the Adobe Youth Voices program and served as the Media Director at the Boys & Girls Club in Redwood City, CA. Upon completing his Master's program at Stanford University, Gabriel joined the lecturing team at the School of Design at Stanford while operating his own media agency, producing videos for Silicon Valley's top technology companies. Currently, he is a Strategy and Account Manager on the Creative Media Strategy team at LinkedIn in Sunnyvale, California. As a first -gen college student who kicked off his own academic journey at Delta Community College in his hometown of Stockton, CA, Gabriel understands the importance of having proper guidance and available resources for youth within the community. Aside from his professional endeavors, he enjoys connecting with college students and young professionals to share the tools and strategies that have helped him uncover hidden opportunities and allowed him to intentionally design his academic and professional career path.

President, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley

After graduating with a degree in Political Science from Santa Clara University, Gabriela spent over 10 years supporting organizations and causes in the Bay Area that spoke to her deep-rooted passion for social justice and social change. As a dedicated philanthropy professional at the Koret Foundation, she enjoyed supporting institutions and organizations that contributed to a caring and vibrant community. In addition, she has worked as a Communications and Marketing consultant, has managed community engagement events and special events, and even ran a political campaign!

Talent Acquisition Partner, C3 AI

Gerardo Miranda is originally from Los Angeles and has experience in both higher education and at the corporate level. As a Talent Acquisition Partner with C3 AI, he supports the full-cycle recruitment efforts for Marketing and Pre Sales Engineers in the oil & gas, manufacturing, federal, and supply chain industries. During this time, he has built trust, rapport, and empathy towards people's transitions to new roles. Prior to joining C3 AI, Gerardo was an Associate Director for Undergraduate Admission with Santa Clara University and served as a College Advisor for first-generation high school students in Santa Cruz, CA.

Founder and CEP of Conectado Inc.

Guillermo Diaz, Jr., is a transformative global business leader and champion of diversity, equity and inclusion. He is the Founder and CEO of Conectado Inc., an innovative Web 3 digital platform with the mission to accelerate access to opportunities for those that are underrepresented. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the Hispanic Technology Council (HITEC), the premier global executive leadership organization of senior business and technology executives who have and are building outstanding careers in technology. Diaz has most recently served as the CEO of Kloudspot, Inc., an innovative predictive AI and IOT analytics platform provider and now serves on its Board of Directors. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Blue Shield of California. 

Prior to these roles, he was a transformational innovator across Cisco Systems and broadly in the industry where he developed a strong track record for accelerating culture through people, process, and technology. Guillermo served as Cisco’s Global Chief Information Officer and was responsible for the IT organization, strategy, and services. As the Head of Customer Digital Transformation, he and his team leveraged Cisco’s own digital journey and thought leadership to partner with customers to build their own transformation programs.

Program Director, Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Hallie Bodey is a leading expert in extracurricular and academic programming in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She has worked on K-12, undergraduate, and graduate programs.  She served as the Program Manager for the Center for Global Law and Policy at Santa Clara University, which boasts the largest US-accredited Law Study Abroad program in the country.  Previous to that, she served as the Assistant Director for International Programs at Stanford University.  Hallie Bodey is currently pursuing an M.A. in Educational Leadership student at Santa Clara University School of Education and Counseling Psychology with an interest in immigrant educational experience, education in prisons, and experiential education.  Before joining academia, Hallie served as Vendor Manager for a NYC start-up focused on language translation.  Hallie continues to be a sought out consultant for education start-ups and is available to advise students seeking to solve problems in the areas of education, language, and travel.

Hallie has taught and advised thousands of students and developed dozens of new partnerships and new programs, with a deep focus on internationalization and global programming.   She has supported students in earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships for Study Abroad.  She is a champion of leadership skill development in students, with a deep commitment to increasing opportunities for first generation, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and international students.

In her freetime, Hallie scours the internet for travel ideas, studies Kanji (Japanese), researches alternative housing, and raises chickens.

Ph.D, President of Santa Clara University

Dr. Julie Sullivan is the 30th president of Santa Clara University. She is both the first layperson and first female president in the University’s 171-year history. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University blends high-tech innovation with a social consciousness grounded in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition of educating the whole person.

A visionary academic leader, President Sullivan is a passionate champion for the tenets of Catholic social teaching, including creating opportunities and economic inclusion through education, dismantling racism and building belonging, and promoting environmental sustainability.

Computer Science student at Santa Clara University

Kimberly is currently a transfer student at Santa Clara University studying Computer Science with an interest in Data Science. She is very passionate about pursuing a degree in STEM as a Latina. She loves all the material she is learning within her courses and hopes to someday show her community that we can also pursue these degrees too. She is a member of SHPE (Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers) and loves getting involved in supporting others looking to achieve their dreams. She would love to share with her community the struggles she went through to get me to where she is right now.

Academic Advisor, Drahmann Advising Center

Lisa Osteraas was born and raised in the Bay Area and received her Bachelor’s degree in  Mass Communications from UCLA.  The daughter of two educators, she initially pursued teaching as her career path.  Despite her love of children, she realized teaching elementary school was not a good professional fit and she decided to make a change. Soon after, Lisa was hired as the office manager for the Communication Department at SCU, and knew immediately that she had found her calling in higher education.

Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach, Undergraduate Admission

Lorenzo is originally from a very small town with eight graduating seniors in his public high school class. Coming from a close-knit community, he is familiar with the assumptions and fears one may have when considering leaving town for college. Reflecting on his own journey of college, he aspires to clarify the daunting experience for other first-generation students that he once faced himself. Lorenzo has over ten years of experience in college advising and currently oversees new initiatives such as LLI.

Associate Director of Center for Student Involvement

Lori (she/her/hers) is the Associate Director and co-lead for the Campus Engagement Working Group where she enjoys connecting with campus partners and students.  She received her bachelor's in Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management and her master's in Counselor Education from San Jose State University. She is currently working on her Educational Doctorate at SCU in Social Justice Leadership. She is excited to be a double Bronco and be the first cohort to graduate from the program.

Lori was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in San Jose, California. She has one daughter, 3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 guinea pig, 1 fish, and 1 hamster (yes, a small farm!) She enjoys doing arts and crafts, visiting the animal shelter with her daughter, and going to the beach.

Professor, UC Riverside

Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez is a Professor and Bank of America Chair in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Practice in the School of Education at the University of California Riverside. Originally from the Inland Empire, he attended San Bernardino Valley College, then transferred to CSU, San Bernardino where he became a McNair School Scholar, and Harvard University for graduate school where he earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy. His research focuses on issues of educational equity, Latina/o/x/ education, and community engagement. Between 2019-2022, he served as Interim Dean of the School of Education at UC Riverside.

Prior to UCR, he was on the faculty at California State University, San Bernardino and Florida International University. Dr. Rodriguez is the author of nearly 50 publications including 4 books, several articles and book chapters, and has received numerous honors including the American Education Research Association (AERA) Hispanic Research Issues SIG Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Education in 2019, recognition by the Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance in 2019, Outstanding Latino Faculty by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) in 2015, and was designated as an “Emerging Leader” in 2014 by Phi Delta Kappa International in Washington, DC in 2014. He currently sits on the UC President’s Chicano/Latino Advisory Council. In addition to his scholarship, he has provided expert commentary in various publications including The Atlantic, U.S. News and World Report, Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine, and others.

Computer Science student at Santa Clara University

A first-gen aspiring software engineer, Luis Herrera is eager to learn, develop, and grow in the tech field. Luis is a determined and driven problem-solving leader, with a passion for engineering new ideas through the use of creativity and innovation. He aspires to create software that will have a meaningful impact on the lives of people, but also make direct communication with computers more accessible for everyone. My adaptability and solution-oriented persona have been defining characteristics to strive for results in a fast and efficient way, while also being collaborative by applying diversity, inclusion, and building trust with those around him.

Partner & Director of Impact, Career Launch

Marieli Rubio is a Partner and Director of Impact for Career Launch. As a first-generation college student at Santa Clara University she was taught the Career Launch Method directly from Sean when she was a sophomore. Marieli immediately began to create a professional network from scratch. In doing so, she earned a competitive internship within a civil engineering division of a prominent construction company between her sophomore and junior year. Marieli reflects, “It was a life-changing experience, it opened my eyes to the realities of what I was learning in the classroom and it increased my self-confidence for my career going forward.”

Management Information Systems student at Santa Clara University

Matteo Rojas and is an incoming senior studying Management Information Systems within the Leavey School of Business. In addition, Matteo is the finance director for the Activities Programming Board(APB) at SCU where he will be coordinating exciting events all throughout the year for students to be a part of. He is grateful to continue supporting SCU's community by helping to influence inclusivity and positivity. He is always open to making new connections and offering any helpful advice to students going through college.

Director, Santa Clara University's Honors Program

Naomi's teaching and research interests focus on French and European history in their modern global context. They are a historian of ideas, and am particularly interested in the way human nature has been defined in modern times and how those definitions shape our understanding of sex roles, racial differences, citizenship, and social power. They currently teach courses on the history of gender, European imperialism, citizenship, and slavery at both lower and upper-division levels. They also teach survey courses in European history and first-year seminars for the University Honors program. Her first book, Socialism’s Muse, is a history of French romantic socialism, feminism, and ideas about women and gender during the early 19th century. More recent research explores the way romantic socialists contributed to the justification of French imperialism in the 1830s and 40s, an important period in the rebuilding of the French empire and the era of slavery abolition, and the origins of humanitarianism in this same era. Her current research focuses on debates over slavery and antislavery in France in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Oscar Robles is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Napa and a senior partner of the Gonzalez Group one of the most diverse Private Banking and Wealth Management teams working at Merrill today. A key focus of his practice is working with emergent Latino and Hispanic professionals, entrepreneurs, businesses, and their families.

Oscar also serves on the Board of Bank of America’s Hispanic Organization for Leadership in Advancement and is an executive Board of Community Health Initiative, an organization whose mission is to improve the health of children, families and seniors by providing access to healthcare, locally, and statewide. In addition Oscar is an active member and sponsor of various organizations including, Sonoma Vintners and Growers Association, Mexican American Vintners Association, San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association, and San Francisco Bay Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Associate Professor of Education, Educational Leadership Program at SCU

Pedro E. Nava completed his Ph.D. from UCLA’s Graduate School of Education in the Urban Schooling division.  His dissertation was titled Sin Sacrificio No Hay Recompensa: Apoyo as (Im)migrant Parental Engagement in Farmworking Families of the California Central Valley.   The focus of his research and teaching are in urban and rural schooling inequality, critical pedagogy and critical race theory, immigration and education, family-school-community engagement, and participatory action research. Prior to his time at UCLA, he completed a Master’s degree at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a specialization in administration, planning and social policy, and Bachelor’s degrees from California State University at Fresno in Liberal Studies and Chicano Studies.

Staff Counselor, Santa Clara University

Richard De La Garza is a licensed clinical social worker. His educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University, and he is currently in pursuit of a Doctorate in Philosophy of Leadership from the University of San Diego. His research intersects multicultural facets of underrepresented first-generation, non-traditional, veteran, and disabled persons and is committed to social justice and culturally competent care. Richard has experience working in a variety of settings including the US Army, as a direct commissioned officer for active-duty servicemen. Richard has provided consultation for a non-profit board of directors, case management for a community mental health clinic, and facilitated government partnerships across the military and Palo Alto VA. Richard aligns with a holistic therapeutic approach that is person-centered, psychodynamic, narrative, cognitive behavioral, solution-oriented, integrative systems, and storytelling. Richard’s leadership style reflects traits like bilingual, amiable, and tenacious. Richard strives to expand self-awareness to recognize everyone should be a learner who is capable of growth and redemption. Richard is also trained to provide EMDR therapy.

University Advisor, Drahmann Academic Advising and Learning Resource Center

Samantha Kibbish is a University Advisor in the Drahmann Academic Advising and Learning Resources Center at Santa Clara University, where Samantha aims to provide undergraduate students the curricular and co-curricular experience they aspire for.  She received a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Hospitality Management from San Jose State University and a Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco. Samantha is entering into the second year of her Doctor of Education in Social Justice Leadership program at Santa Clara University.

Founder of Dreamers Roadmap, Girl Scouts of NorCal Board Member & Ethnic Studies and Sociology major student at Santa Clara University

Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca is a White House Champion of Change recipient  (2014), has received 5 House of Representatives Awards, and was named in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016. A former undocumented student who once had to drop out of school to support her family, Sarahi’s personal experience informs her unwavering vision: to help hundreds of thousands of students eliminate educational barriers to success and achieve their full potential.

In 2020 Sarahi directed two major campaigns serving minorities. #FirstOfTheMonth where she and two other local organizations came together and raised 2.4 million dollars to help the most vulnerable of our neighbors of color who were impacted by Covid-19.

The other #Supplies4FarmWorkers a grassroots community-led campaign organized by 100% volunteers. Serving families affected by the California fires and Covid19. Distributions still occur at farmworker camps and fields.  More recently Sarahi joined The Sobrato Organization as a Senior Program Advisor where she is advising the Silicon Valley Team on strategy moving forward. Using her lived experience and 10 years of community organizing. 

Sarahi is currently attending Santa Clara University where she is majoring in Ethic Studies and Sociology.

Founder, Partner & Chief Impact Officer, Career Launch

Sean teaches in the Leavey School of Business and in the LEAD scholars program that supports first-generation students. As course coordinator of the Business Communication team, Sean's responsibilities include curriculum design for all the business communication courses in the undergraduate and MBA programs. In the classroom, Sean teaches classes that focus on career and professional development.

Sean O'Keefe is Founder and Partner of Career Launch, a mission-driven social enterprise incubated through SCU's Bronco Venture Accelerator. Career Launch partners with colleges to equitably scale students' ability to create professional relationships and launch effective job or internship searches in the hidden job market, especially for students with few to no employment connections.

Chief of Staff to the Chief Privacy Officer at Cisco, Motivational Speaker

Veronica currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Cisco’s Chief Privacy Officer.  Leveraging her passion for empowering individuals to own their data, she launched Ask Veronica which focuses on consumer tips to improve privacy and cybersecurity posture. CBS aired a segment featuring her Ask Veronica YouTube channel. CBS also highlighted her continued service to Students Rising Above, a college preparedness program for first generation students overcoming obstacles such as homelessness, domestic violence, and incarcerated family members. She benefited from this program when she was a minor, and it is a great honor to give back to an organization that transformed her life.

Founder of Yacanex Community

Yacnex Posadas is a Business Advisor and Owner of Yacanex Business Group, LLC. He has over 8 years of consulting experience in supporting individuals in creating new businesses. To date, some of his accomplishments include supporting the creation of 962 jobs, assisting over 100 businesses attain capital totaling over $12.1M., and teaching over 6,000 hours regarding small business workshops in both English and Spanish to aspiring entrepreneurs. Yacanex is an expert at bridging relations between the Latino Small Business community in San Jose and entities such as the Mexican Consulate, Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, Santa Clara University, and Asian, Inc. He is the founder of Latina Emprendedora, a Latina small business conference that hosts over 100 women annually. He is an instructor at Santa Clara University where he co teaches the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative (NPI) and teaches students about income inequality and social justice through service learning. Yacanex has tremendous expertise in recruiting and managing relationships with small business owners.