Pictured, top row: Amelia Castañeda and Brook Vazquez. Bottom row: Lisette Carbajal, Andrea Meador Smith, and Veronique Walker
At the start of another anticipated record-breaking year, the college-access nonprofit Shenandoah Valley Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) has announced board and leadership transitions.
SLI, which in 2025 plans to graduate its largest student cohort ever, has welcomed two new members to its board of directors, appointed a new board secretary and a program services coordinator, and thanked two outgoing board members for their service.
“Each new year brings changes to SLI’s rotating board roster,” said board chair Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ph.D., a professor of history at James Madison University. “It’s a time of gratitude for work completed and gathering momentum for our growing impact.”
SLI’s mission is to support Latino/a/x high school students with college access through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, scholarships, and supportive mentorships. Since 2012 SLI has served 201 scholars (71 current and 130 alumni), and SLI scholars have attended 25 colleges and universities. SLI program sites are in Harrisonburg, Richmond, and Winchester.
This year SLI anticipates awarding its scholars $264,500 in college scholarships, technology grants, and college dual enrollment and AP courses tuition assistance. This significantly surpasses last year’s record $158,338, and will notably increase its cumulative awards, which have totaled more than $700,000.
In addition to funding, SLI’s collaborations with university and high school staff, faculty, and students provide college access opportunities throughout high school. Among SLI program offerings are “Early College,” which gives students a taste of what college academics are like; assistance in the college application process; community service and leadership development opportunities; supportive friendships with peers who are also preparing to go to college; and mentorships with university faculty and students.
“I feel an immense sense of gratitude for the support and guidance that SLI has provided,” said Miguel, a SLI alum who will graduate from college this spring. “SLI hasn’t just shaped my academic pursuits; it has shaped the core of who I am today.”
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The new members of the board of directors are Amelia Castañeda of Richmond and Brook Vazquez of Harrisonburg.
“I am delighted to welcome Amelia and Brook to the board,” said Montoya. “Their experiences and insights will be invaluable as SLI navigates the challenges and opportunities facing college access for Latinx students.”
Castañeda received a bachelor of science in human development and human services from Virginia Tech in 2008, and serves Richmond Public Schools as its Welcome Center and family advocacy coordinator. In her prior role as the Alexandria Center Director for Higher Achievement, she was recognized by the White House as a Latino Educator Champion of Change in 2014. In 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 (Education) profiled her as “the Michigan-born daughter of migrant Mexican workers and the first in her family to graduate high school and college” who was now boosting “college-readiness outcomes for at-risk middle schoolers.”
Vazquez holds a degree in business administration from Eastern Mennonite University and is a business services advisor at Park View Federal Credit Union.
“I believe that education is an important asset and these students are deserving of the opportunity to pursue their goals and dreams,” she said. “I look forward to contributing my experience and collaborating with incredible leaders. I am excited to help drive meaningful change and make a difference in our community.”
LEADERSHIP
Newly-appointed as board secretary is Andrea Meador Smith, Ph.D., of Winchester. Smith will serve a two-year term on the executive committee, which also includes chair Montoya, vice chair Carlos Alemán, Ph.D., a professor of Communication Studies at JMU, and treasurer Steve Burkholder, a financial consultant at Everence.
Smith is a professor of Hispanic Studies and the senior associate dean of the Shenandoah University College of Arts & Sciences, where her teaching and research focus on representations of race and gender in Latin American film. She has also been a faculty member for Semester At Sea and a Spanish instructor at the University of Virginia, where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Spanish, a master of teaching in Spanish and English as a Second Language, and a doctorate in Spanish. She studied abroad as an undergraduate and did doctoral research at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
In addition, the board named a support coordinator and program specialist, who will support SLI program directors by coordinating organization practices and training, identifying college access resources and opportunities, and innovating program curricula specific to first-generation Latinx high school students in pursuit of higher education.
OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS
The SLI board recognized the service of two outgoing members, Lisette Carbajal of Richmond and Veronique Walker, Ed.D., L.P.C., N.C.C., of Martinsburg, WV.
“I am grateful for the ways that Lisette and Veronique supported our students during their time on the board,” said Montoya. “While we will miss their contributions as board members, we wish them all the best in their ongoing pursuits. They are leaving the organization stronger than ever, and I am excited for SLI’s continuing trajectory.”
Carbajal will continue as vice president of government relations (state ) for McGuireWoods Consulting LLC, and Walker as the equity and family empowerment coordinator for Winchester Public Schools.
