Carolina Silva is the Executive Director of ScholarshipsA-Z and came to the U.S. at the age of nine from Lima, Peru. Her work is situated at the intersection of education, immigration, and equity. She began organizing as an undocumented college student in Salt Lake City, Utah and received her PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education at Washington State University.

During her time as a doctoral student, Carolina organized in Eastern Washington as Crimson Group’s (Undocumented student support and advocacy group) Graduate Student Advisor. In this role, she focused on attaining access to legal services for immigrant students on her campus and participated in statewide and national education equity efforts such as Washington state’s DREAM Act 2.0, the Keep Washington Working Act, and the 2017 DREAM Act campaign. Her dissertation investigates how the life experiences, namely (im)migration and K-12 schooling experiences, of Latinx Undocumented youth shape their higher education attainment and involvement in immigrant youth movements.

Prior to joining ScholarshipsA-Z, Carolina was a Congressional Fellow with the Education and Labor Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. In her spare time, Carolina enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring the Tucson landscape.

“Look closely at the present you are constructing. It should look like the future you are dreaming.” – Alice Walker