Lorena Valdez (She, Her, Ella)

About Us:

Lorena Valdez (she, her, ella) is a UC Berkeley, first-generation college Alum. Growing up in East Los Angeles, as a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, Lorena’s upbringing instilled in her a strong work ethic and a deep commitment to social justice and community. She has committed her long-standing career to creating access and opportunity for underserved student communities. Throughout her career, Lorena has managed student support programs aimed at addressing the needs of transfer students at Cal. In August 1999, with just a few allocated resources, she launched the Transfer Student Center on the UC Berkeley campus, the first of its kind in the University of California (UC) system. Today, the Transfer Student Center serves thousands of transfer students a year and is a national model for transfer student support and engagement. Before taking on the Deputy Director role, Lorena served as the Director of Transfer Student Programs for the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence(CE3) where she managed several transfer programs including the Transfer Student Center, TRIO Student Support Services (classic), the Miller Scholars Program, and the Re-entry Student Program. Lorena earned a Master's degree from the University of San Francisco in Multicultural and International Education. She continues to be a driving force for access and inclusion at the university. She believes that by working together with empathy, integrity, and commitment, we can build a more inclusive university where everyone belongs.