Marianela Rivera Pérez

I think it's the people that life put in my way. I was lucky enough to have women professors who encouraged me and provided me with the guidance and information I needed. I started as a pre-med student, so my career would have been very different, but those women I encountered during my bachelor's degree in Puerto Rico and then my master's in the U.S. were key for me. I didn't even know how academia worked - it wasn't that I chose to be in academia. It was the people that life put in my way, and that's how I became who I am. One of my supervisors many years ago told me, “Don’t build a CV; build relationships.” And that stuck with me throughout my career. No matter if I'm teaching or in my personal life, it's about how you connect with people and create meaningful relationships, and how that helps you move forward. I'm a believer in collaboration and communication, and I think support and opening doors, not only for ourselves but for others, is what matters. I’ve been fortunate to have mentors who opened doors for me, and that has shaped the way I approach leadership, mentorship, and working with students and colleagues today.

The best career advice I ever received was from one of my supervisors many years ago, who told me: “Don’t build a CV; build relationships.” That advice really stayed with me throughout my career. No matter if I'm teaching or in my personal life, it's about how you connect with people, build trust, and create meaningful relationships, and how that helps you move forward. I'm a believer in collaboration and communication, and that's something that really matters to me, both professionally and personally. I’ve learned that opportunities, mentorship, and growth often come from the relationships we build and the way we support others along the way.

I would encourage them to trust their voice and not wait until they feel 100% ready to step into opportunities. Many times I thought I wasn't ready, and I think we are all, as women, taught that we need to be over-prepared. We doubt ourselves so often, so I think growth comes from stepping into uncomfortable spaces and challenging yourself even when you feel uncertain. That's a must for you to grow. My advice would be to trust yourself, and don't wait till you are 100% ready, because you're never going to be. Sometimes you grow into the opportunity rather than before it. Just do it. It's unfortunate that still women have to give so much more than men for the same recognition, and I think that intimidates a lot of girls nowadays. So I try to encourage my students and colleagues, and provide them with as many opportunities as possible, whether through mentorship, grants, scholarships, or simply helping them see their own potential, because I know money and access are major barriers for many of them.

I think one of the biggest challenges in higher education and international education right now is access. Study abroad and international experiences can be transformative, but for many students they still feel financially or personally out of reach. We continue to see inequities in who gets access to those opportunities, and I think institutions really need to rethink what international education can look like. At the same time, I also think this is one of the biggest opportunities in the field. Technology, virtual exchange, and other global learning initiatives are allowing us to create impactful international experiences for students who may never be able to travel abroad. That doesn’t replace immersion experiences, but it does expand access in powerful ways. Another challenge is helping students and institutions understand why international education still matters in a world that often feels politically divided and financially uncertain. I strongly believe global learning is not a luxury; it helps students develop empathy, communication skills, adaptability, leadership, confidence, and the ability to work across cultures and perspectives. Those skills are essential today.

I also think faculty and staff are being asked to do more with fewer resources, so collaboration and institutional support are critical. The institutions that will really thrive are the ones that understand international education is not just about sending students abroad, but about creating a culture of global engagement across the entire university.

Empathy, collaboration, and communication are the values that matter most to me. It's about how you create relationships with people and how that helps you move forward, both career-wise and personally. Support and opening doors, not only for ourselves but for others, is what matters to me. I'm a strong believer in using my role to encourage students to go further in life and to help them see possibilities they may not have imagined for themselves. The most rewarding thing for me has been seeing my students years later and hearing about how they've succeeded, the places they've gone, or the goals they've achieved. As a teacher and educator, you don't do this work for the money; it's truly a vocation. You feel called to it. And when you see the impact of your work reflected in someone else's growth or opportunities, it's incredibly meaningful.I also think education gives us hope. Sometimes the world feels so negative, especially when you turn on the news, and then you hear from a student who got into graduate school, received a scholarship, studied abroad, or changed the direction of their life, and you remember why this work matters. Those moments stay with you.