A native Angeleno from Southeast Los Angeles, Raquel is a first-generation college graduate whose educational journey extends beyond a degree. Raised in a single-parent household by an undocumented immigrant mother, Raquel overcame the challenges of the 90s era broken school system that marginalized Black and Brown kids and set expectations dismally low. Her journey involved overcoming societal and internalized barriers to achieve higher education. With grit and determination, Raquel graduated from UC Berkeley at the age of 30 with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics. This milestone marked a pivotal shift, leading her from a career in business management within the for-profit sector to a more meaningful path in education. After graduating, she worked abroad in South America where she taught English as a foreign language and this set the path for a career in the education sector. At Alliance, an organization committed to serving children with similar lived experiences, Raquel found alignment with her values. Progressing from coordinator to manager, she now serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Chief of Staff. In this role, she supports the implementation of Home Office initiatives, manages cross-functional network-wide projects, and designs collaborative learning spaces for the Home Office team.
Raquel Valles
