BRENDA VALDES

Brenda Valdes was born across the border in Allende Coahuila Mexico and moved to San Antonio a little over a decade ago. After being a stay-at-home mom for years , she decided to go back to school. Valdes graduated from San Antonio College and transferred to UTSA in the fall of 2022 where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minoring in Sociology She is a first one to go to college from her family, but she says that she hopes won’t be the last one. Valdes became a US Citizen in 2021 and now is invested in her education and society. She is concerned about the quality of life of Hispanic immigrants and their families. Her goal is to create a positive Latino movement to encourage others to get better and see the many possibilities that are offered to them.

Research Brenda is working on a research project where will study the psychological , sociological , and economic impacts of nontraditional students in higher education. She believes that is very easy for universities to target senior high schoolers and ignore the older population. Through her study she wants to provide data that supports the idea that when the parents go to school, their kids are more likely to go to school, and overall have a better quality of life. As a result, we also have a lower dropout rate, better income and more taxes paid, thus more programs can be funded, not just for minorities but for the whole society