Congratulations to our February 2024 Member of the Month (MeMo) Mia Gonzales Washington! National College Attainment Network (NCAN) staff asked her both professional and personal questions so you can get to know her and the work she does
better.
Q: What brought you to the college access and success field initially? A: Initially, I accepted a position in college success as a steppingstone to a previous professional goal that I had, then I fell in love with the work. I've been an educator for 15 years, but here is where I've found my passion within the field. It's been eight years now!
Q:What do you love most about your role or organization? A: This work has the potential to fortify the branches of family trees, their socioeconomic status, their access to home ownership and improved health outcomes, as well as create the upward mobility that exposes individuals to a world outside of their
own. This is game changing work!
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an NCAN member? A: NCAN is what made me the college access professional that I am. I learned about policy and advocacy here, I learned to better serve diverse learners here, I've gotten support from colleagues here, and all around have grown into the local leader that I am in this field because of how I plugged into what NCAN had to offer me as a member for almost five years.
Personality Questions
Every month, our MeMos will be answering some fun questions to help us get to know their “out of office” side!
Q: If you were dropped into any movie or TV show as a new main character, what movie or TV show would you pick and why? A: I need to appear on Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo because, like many of her
clients, I struggle to balance work and life, and she helps them organize their homes to include only the things that spark joy.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to cross off your bucket list? Is there one thing you've crossed off already that you're really proud of? A: I'd like to ride in a hot air balloon some day! One thing I'm very proud of is executing an unmedicated labor and delivery in the bathtub for all three of my sons. That was a spiritual experience each time and a beautiful
harmony between my mind and body and a reminder of how strong I am, what I can endure, and that a solid support team is crucial to succeeding at anything.
Q: What's your favorite food, and one food you don't like? A: My favorite food is seafood, specifically crustaceans like lobster, snow crabs, and crawfish. My palate still doesn't have an appreciation
for Greek food, but I keep trying it from time to time to see if that will change.
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