News Features
"Valerie De Cruz, a trip organizer and director of the Greenfield Intercultural Center, says students meet people who were on-the-ground participants during the Civil Rights Movement, deepen their knowledge of the American social movement, and gain a sense of empowerment and commitment to create social change. 'One of the program’s goals is to introduce the students to ordinary people who did really extraordinary things. It has a huge impact on students who are thinking about their future.'" Source: "Penn’s Alliance for Understanding Retraces Civil Rights History in the South,"
Penn News Today (24th of June 2014) |
Personal Growth & Life Coach
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Professional Background
I believe in the power of client-centered work rooted in a systems framework that utilizes an intersectional approach. My focus is on personal mentoring that enhances knowledge of self and helps clients find purpose in their professional goals and personal journeys. With 30 years of professional experience in assisting young and middle career professionals to courageously embrace personal and career transitions, I have developed innovative approaches to helping individuals explore and understand themselves, as well as their structured realities, in order to design nuanced strategies to navigate and accomplish change.
I am passionate about providing guidance to individuals who are the first in their families to embark on professional journeys. I am also had success in mentoring professional staff and graduate interns at the institutions I have worked at. Having lived in South East Asia, UK, Canada and the US, I am open-minded and bring a transnational perspective to my work. As a result of working with me, clients’ outcomes include deeper self-awareness, insight into the systems they are a part of, innovative strategies for growth and increased confidence in embarking on the next phase of their personal journey. Since 1989, I have been working with individuals and has also taught courses and facilitated workshops to explore identity and enhance leadership skills. She has provided leadership in assisting institutions in developing strategies for equity and inclusion to better support their increasingly diverse populations. While I have worked in college and university settings, my interactions with clients extend beyond higher education and into various professional sectors such as health management, finance, chaplaincy work, medicine, arts and entertainment and non-profit management. I have a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Masters in Counseling.
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