Rosa Garcia
Biography
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Rosa immigrated to Southern California at the age of 7 with big dreams of becoming an architect one day. Due to her lack of legal status, that journey took a very long time and ultimately did not work out. In 2014, Rosa qualified for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and also became a single mom. As a first-generation student and single parent, finishing school was imperative to access opportunities not just for herself, but for her child. In 2016, Rosa started over, and by 2024, she had amassed two graduate degrees, in finance and in business administration, a graduate certificate in enterprise analytics and an undergraduate degree in business.
Career-wise, Rosa has worked many jobs that centered around customer service and that is the main driver in her approach to work. She worked for the Public Health Institute in Sacramento, California supporting the Berkley Soda Tax study, collaborations with the Toiyabe Health Project in Bishop, California and the Center for Wellness and Nutrition. She also spent time at Rural Community Assistance Corporation as a project analyst for the Agua4All program that supplies safe drinking water to rural schools in California. Upon her return to Oregon in 2021, she worked at Multnomah County at the Housing Services Department, Health Department, and Office of Diversity an Equity.
While Rosa loves numbers, spreadsheets, and asking a lot of questions, she still loves art, and regularly dabbles in arts and crafts. She also spends a lot of time supporting her pre-teen as they grow into their own.
Education, Degrees
Bachelor of Science in Business- Finance Concentration, California State University, Sacramento
Master of Science in Finance, Portland State University
Master of Business Administration, Portland State University
Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Analytics, Portland State University
¹ CEPH Primary Instructional Faculty
² CEPH Non-Primary Instructional Faculty
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