Andrea Vaca-Rodriguez
Andrea currently works at a non-profit in education as a Data Specialist. In her role, she focuses on ensuring data is accurate, actionable, and aligned across the organization. Previously, Andrea taught high school mathematics and computer science. She has applied different curriculums and pedagogical practices to her work and has worked with students from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. In addition to teaching, she has coached youth in rugby, debate, and robotics teams. In her coaching, she focused on encouraging and recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds. Her passion in education stems from her experiences as a Mexican-immigrant and first-generation woman pursuing a degree in mathematics and philosophy. In parallel with her work in education, the last four years, she has been part of a cumbia collective in Oakland that studies and practices cumbia rhythms in African-Indigenous origins, adopting playing percussion instruments as her new hobby. PSMEF's mission aligns with her combined curiosity, enthusiasm and involvement in education, youth and music. Andrea hopes to make an impact in the organization through her background in mathematics, data analysis, working with youth and other non-profit organizations.