Representation and Responsible Leadership: A Conversation with Candace Valenzuela '06
Candace Valenzuela ’06 has devoted her life to fighting for opportunities for others, especially for access to education. She first ran for her local school board to improve Texas schools, becoming the first Latina and first African-American woman to serve on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board. In 2020, running on a platform to stand up for all Texas children and their families, Valenzuela was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Texas’s 24th District. She is an advocate for greater fiscal transparency and expansion of STEM education, vocational training, and coding academies in district schools.
The daughter of U.S. Army veterans, Valenzuela was born in El Paso, Texas, into a family with generations of military service. Her great-grandfather came to the United States from Mexico, eventually fighting in World War I. Subsequently, her grandfather fought in World War II. She often says that her father once jumped out of airplanes for a living, while her mother fixed them.
Her lived experiences motivate her views and political passions. The first in her family to graduate from college, Valenzuela attended Claremont McKenna College on a full scholarship. Appreciative of such an opportunity, she is determined to fight for access to education for all.
Ms. Valenzuela’s Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Women and Leadership Alliance, the Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development, the Kravis Leadership Institute, and the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, all at Claremont McKenna College.