Mariana Jimenez joined Urban Alliance in 2018 as a high school intern at Natural Resource Defense Council. She continued interning with Urban Alliance over the summers at different internship sites such as Education Systems Center, Fam Foolery, and 826CHI. She grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago where she served her community by working as a paraprofessional at a local high school. In this role she worked one-on-one with a Special Education student to ensure the necessary accommodations and modifications were provided. As a first-generation student/graduate Mariana is passionate about mentoring students and increasing the percentage of minority students that attend college and have successful careers. She will also continue to support more students of color with their post-secondary goals. Mariana obtained her bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and majored in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Adolescent Development.