Janet Valencia

I think seeing my mom going through a lot of challenges as a Latina woman, feeling like she had limited choices, and observing that as a kid definitely helped me become this sort of opposite hyper-independent woman. Watching her struggles and limitations motivated me to create different opportunities for myself and become the person I am today.

Do what you love because you love what you do. This advice has guided my career and reminds me that passion and purpose should drive my professional choices.

Network with other professors and department chairs - that's really important. If you have that networking, it makes things a lot easier. Building those connections and relationships early on can open doors and provide support as you navigate your career in academia.

Honestly, I think one of the biggest challenges is becoming tenured as a lecturer, because right now I'm a lecturer, technically, and it's a process to even become tenured at any of the universities that I mentioned. As for opportunities, I think the fact that I am a Latina and that I can speak to and connect with first-generation students is very powerful, because they look up to you and they see that if she was able to do it, I can do it too. But on the flip side, that can also be a challenge, because you don't have as many networking opportunities as others that may have gone to different schools or have connections. First-gen students don't really have those same advantages.

As a professor, I think integrity is a very important component of being a professor, and even working with students, it's a two-way street. Discipline and presence are also important values in that professional sense. These values guide how I approach my work and my relationships with students.