Carla Marquina has joined the UMKC Multicultural Student Affairs Team on March 7, 2022, as the new Student Services Coordinator at the Multicultural Student Affairs Office as the Avanzando Latinx Mentoring Program and advisor for the Latinx Student Union, and she brings with her experience that is invaluable to our UMKC students.

She shares, “I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to the United States when I was 17 to pursue my undergraduate education. Despite immigrating just months prior to the first day of class, I wasn’t considered an international student. Also, because my parents went to college in Peru, I wasn’t considered a first-generation student either. On top of that, I was still trying to understand what it meant to be Latina in the United States. It was a very confusing time. I went under everyone’s radar and ended up figuring things out on my own: the good, the bad, and the scary.

In this new role, it’s my hope that, to Avanzando students, I will be able to be the person 17-year-old me wished she had when she needed help navigating college and life.”

Previously, Carla was at AHC Inc in Arlington, Virginia, where she worked as a Resident Services Coordinator. In that position, she ran educational programs for the residents in a predominantly Latinx community, including a tutoring and mentoring program for middle school and high school students.

Carla’s office is located within Multicultural Student Affairs on the third floor of the Student Union and joined the wonderful team of Keichanda Dees-Burnett, Roland Hemmings Jr., Kimberly Johnson, and Phyllis LaMaster. To learn more about the outstanding programs, services, and student organizations that MSA has to offer, visit their website.