Clearing the path behind you

(CORNELIUS) — Angeles Godinez-Valencia knows firsthand how important it is to center access in programming.

Today, she’s the Director of Education for Centro Cultural, but not too long ago, she was the child whose parents had to say no to after-school programs.

“It’s not because she didn’t want me to do it, but because she just wasn’t in the financial position to do it,” she said. “So I think my job is really important because I’m in a position where I actively get to work on breaking down those barriers that are affecting our culturally Latino community from accessing quality after-school programs.”

When Godinez-Valencia looks back, she sees where she can make a difference.

“I had to go through a lot of barriers, and it was not fun. It was not easy,” she said. “And if there’s anything I can do along the way to make it a little bit easier for whoever else is coming down that path, I want to do that.”

Finances play a key role in accessibility, she said, but there are many other ways to lower barriers to participation. One thing she thinks about is ensuring that the meeting times for programs align with typical work schedules and dinner times, parents are able to leave work and feed their children, as well as making sure information is delivered in Spanish.

“We need to remember where our families are at and make sure we’re providing them with a variety of resources,” she said.

After studying computer science, physics and math in college, Godinez-Valencia didn’t think she’d end up where she is today. She figured she’d be an engineer. But she was a volunteer at Centro Cultural when she graduated in 2017, and, in the blink of an eye, seven years had passed, and she was still with the organization.

She loves her work and how she can have an instant impact on her community.

The robotics program at Centro Cultural is special to Godinez-Valencia. She serves on the state’s board of directors for the program and is an alumnus herself. For seven years, she’s helped grow it.

“I’m not trying to create a bunch of engineers,” Godinez-Valencia joked. “But I think what’s even more important is realizing that technology is evolving at a faster rate, and I truly believe that our students need to have these foundational skills.”

Whether it’s coding, the engineering design process, creating human-centric designs, or even just learning to work with a team, the robotics program instills essential skills in students that they might not be engaged enough to absorb in school.

“I feel like this program is a really great way for students to learn some skills that will ultimately be useful for the rest of their lives,” she said.

She thinks it’s essential to connect these advanced concepts to their real-world counterparts. When you’re cooking, you’re doing chemistry, she said. When you help your dad with the car, that’s a form of mechanical engineering.

Since the robotics program is nearly year-round, students are always engaged and learning.

“The students are continuously absorbed and have more time to process it,” she said. “I think in school, you obviously just don’t have that time. And it’s nothing against the school districts, they just have way too many things to fit in.”

One of the most rewarding parts is seeing the participants grow up.

“We had our first student graduate last year, and it’s very emotional,” she said. “You grow attached, and you get to see them develop and grow into who they are.”

She remembers when some of the students on the team now were just the younger siblings of another student on the team, waiting for their turn to join the program.

“I feel very lucky that they have allowed me the opportunity to get to experience that with them,” she said.

In her free time, Godinez-Valencia finds additional ways to give back. She’s very community-driven, she said and hasn’t forgotten how many people helped her family when she was young.

Godinez-Valencia advises anyone on the fence about volunteering to just go for it. She said that even just for an hour, that’s an hour spent creating change.

“You never know whose life you will be changing simply by having a conversation,” she said.