Guadalupe R. Corona

Guadalupe is a first generation American of Mexican descent. Her mother is from Culiacan, Sinaloa and her father from Autlán, Jalisco. She is the oldest of four and the first to go to college. Corona received a bachelor’s in Mexican American Studies with a Minor in Women Studies at San Diego State University and received her master’s in Leadership Studies (Thesis topic: Soulful Chicana Voices in Leadership) from the University of San Diego. She completed her doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of San Diego. Her dissertation titled, “Latina First Year Experience: Factors that Contribute to Persistence from the First to Second Year in Higher Education,” was completed in May of 2010. Currently, she has been serving as the Director for the Office of Student Equity Programs and Services at Southwestern Community College since 2016. Formerly, she spent eight and a half years at Alliant International University where she last served as the Director of the International Students Services and Student Scholars Office, the Undergraduate Campus Director for the Sweetwater Campus and the System-wide Director of Latino Achievement Initiative. She started her career at the University of San Diego where she spent ten years as the Assistant Director to Student Activities and ended serving as the Director of the United Front Multicultural Center. She lives in San Diego with her two sons, Dariel and Endo. Guadalupe has a history of activism in the Latina/o community by organizing, volunteering and developing programs to empower the community to seek self-determination. She has been acknowledged by Union Bank and KPBS with the Hispanic Heritage Month Local Heroes Award. Additionally, she has received awards for leadership: the Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice Award from the Barrio Station and the Willie C. Velazquez award for exemplary commitment and advocacy on behalf of the Latino community from the Chicano Federation of San Diego County. Moreover, she was selected for the 40 under 40 Award from the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, recognized by KSWB 5 for the Unsung Heroes Award during Hispanic Heritage Month, and was awarded the First Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards from Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. In a volunteer capacity, Corona serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Latina/o Unity Coalition , board member of Community Housing Works, founding member of the Language Services Advisory Council to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, and member of the San Diego Padres Hispanic Leadership Advisory Council. Additionally, she served a five-year term for the Centro Cultural de la Raza, including service as Past President, she is the Co-Founder of Association of Chicana Activists at San Diego State University (Celebrating it’s 20th Anniversary in 2011) and at the University of San Diego, and a former member of Mayor Dick Murphy’s and Chief of Police’s Bejerano and Landsdowne Latino Advisory Boards. She serves on various committees: the Latino-Jewish Dialogue with the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League Hispanic Outreach Committee, V-me (KPBS), the Latino Caucus from the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, the Hispanic Heritage Youth Scholarship Awards (Chair, Academic Scholarship Committee), the Cesar E. Chavez Commemorative Committee of San Diego and the MLK Jr. All People’s Breakfast Planning Committee (Chair, Media Committee). She is a member of various community groups such as the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Mexican-American Business and Professional Association, San Diego MANA, the National Latino Business Women’s Association, and the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s. Dr. Corona believes that education is the key to success in the United States, therefore, she has taken an active role in the servant team of the Pinnacle Forum for Education focusing on high need students in the San Ysidro School District and in partnership with Casa Familiar (a local non-profit community based agency) near the U.S.- Mexico border.