Alejandra Muñoz, M.S.

I attribute my success to my mentors. In high school, I probably wouldn't have gone to college if I didn't have the support from my college counselor, and that model of one-on-one college counseling support we have at YES Prep was crucial. Throughout my career, I've had really good supervisors who have not only been my bosses but also coaches and I've learned a lot from them. I've had a variety of female and male supervisors, but the start of my career was primarily female supervisors, and that was really inspiring to me - I wanted to aspire to be like them. My mentors and supervisors have served as coaches, and I think that has been the key.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to write things down and outline a plan for where you want to be. Dr. Moore, my former supervisor, was the first person who encouraged me to create a career plan for myself. This was especially interesting because I do that with my students all the time, but no one had ever done it with me.

He shared a simple template that asked: What is your short-term goal for this year? Where do you want to be in three years, five years, and ten years? Outlining my goals helped turn them into reality. At the time, I wasn’t in a director role, but that was my aspiration, and we started building a plan to get there.

So, the advice is this: write it down and envision your future. Whatever you’re doing right now should align with where you want to be. The opportunities and projects you accept—because your time is valuable—should connect to your long-term goals.

To a young woman, I would say: stay focused and don’t let distractions get in the way of where you want to be. Distractions can show up in many forms—it might be something as simple as being in a team meeting where your voice isn’t always heard.

Often, when we’re younger, we don’t speak up again to restate our ideas. You might share something, only for someone else to take it and run with it without giving you credit. Be brave in naming your ideas as your own, and in highlighting the data that demonstrates your impact. Market yourself, because there won’t always be a mentor or someone there to advocate for you.

I’ve worked in places where you’re seen as indispensable, and even then, there won’t always be a boss who positions you where you need to be or speaks about you in the rooms you need access to. You have to advocate for yourself.

Stay focused, be brave, and advocate for yourself.

One of the most significant challenges in my field is that, while more students are becoming college-ready and matriculating in college, many are not successfully completing their post-secondary education. Addressing this gap between college readiness and college graduation has become a central priority in my work, as it is critical to ensure that students not only gain access to higher education but also achieve meaningful completion outcomes.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are mentorship, focus, bravery, self-advocacy, and giving back to the community. I believe in the power of mentorship to guide and uplift others, while maintaining focus allows me to stay aligned with my goals and purpose. Bravery and self-advocacy are essential in navigating challenges and standing up for what I believe in, and I am deeply committed to giving back to the community in meaningful and impactful ways.