Valerie Contreras is a Latino/a Community Organizer at RISE and is passionate about building relationships with families in Aurora and assisting families in navigating the school system. Valerie is from and lives in Aurora. She attended APS schools and graduated from Hinkley High School. Valerie has a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and an M.A. in Education from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a first-generation U.S. Citizen and a first-generation college graduate. Before coming to RISE, Valerie was a Program Coordinator and a Middle School Language Arts Teacher at a school in Denver. She is passionate and dedicated to social justice and equity in education.