Jesus Garcia-Valdez

Hola! My name is Jesus Garcia-Valdez and I am EOP’s Admissions, Academy & Outreach Coordinator.  I was born in Jalisco, Mexico and  moved to the USA at the age of 10. I am a first-generation, low-income, migrant student. I am the second youngest of seven, yet the first one to graduate high school and receive a college degree. I lived in the Salinas Valley, best known as the World’s Salad Bowl for 15 years. Despite receiving a degree in Business Management, my passion has always been higher education. I started my professional career as an Educational Advising and Retention Specialist for the Educational Talent Search Program, a national TRiO pre-collegiate program. I advised, helped, and encouraged first-generation, low-income and historically disadvantaged students navigate high school and help them create a post-secondary educational plan.

In early 2018, I relocated to Sonoma County and started a new career in higher education as an Admissions, Academy and Outreach Coordinator for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at Sonoma State University. I love giving back and helping “my people” break the cycle of poverty by helping them receive a higher education. This experience has helped me discover my true passion for learning and making a difference in the lives of first-generation, low-income and marginalized students.

HOW I CAN HELP:

• Educate on the EOP benefits and the application process and provide early outreach and recruitment strategies targets towards first-generation, low-income, migrant studentsOversee 

• EOP Kalmanovitz Academy, maintain academy structure, and provide access to appropriate coursework and core classes for the necessary matriculation of the EOP student population

• Provide early outreach and recruitment strategies targeted towards first-generation, low-income, migrant students