"Mariela Regalado is a Dominican immigrant from Brooklyn, whose passion in College Counseling started while she was still enrolled in her undergraduate career at St. John's University. Being the first in her family to attend college she lived and learned through different obstacles students faced enrolling, attending, and graduating College. She has served students in her neighborhood Bedford Stuyvesant, as well as, Uptown NYC, The Bronx and virtually. Mariela was the keynote speaker for Mayor DiBlasio's Education and Equity conference, where she advocated for the importance of College Access For All. She received the Daily News "Hometown Hero" in Education award. She understands that college access is social justice, and has been able to do that work alongside Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, the Know Your Rights Camp and more. When she is not helping to change the landscape for students of color attending institutions of higher learning she is writing her multidimensional experience through poetry and prose, articles, and blogging."