Catalina Cifuentes is a passionate educator and fierce advocate who has demonstrated the power behind effective school counseling, college affordability and higher education advocacy on behalf of all students. She is currently the Executive Director of the College and Career Readiness Unit for the Riverside County Office of Education and is a California Governor appointed Commissioner for the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Catalina’s work on Riverside County’s FAFSA and California Dream Act submission initiative Race to Submit led to an increase of over 6,000 completed applications county wide in 2017. Race to Submit has now been adopted by the CSAC and the California Department of Education as the new California statewide financial aid initiative. She was instrumental in creating the Riverside County Education Collaborative (RCEC) that has become a powerful movement to bring visions into initiatives across the county through partnerships with districts, colleges, and the community. Catalina also serves on various local, regional, state, and national committees to have a voice in the decisions that affect our student’s access to a quality education and a promising future. Although she is often traveling the country presenting her ideas and the results of the work being done in Riverside County, she is never too busy to help a student submit their FAFSA or help a school counseling team assess their data and learn how to improve. She was also the recipient of the Visionary Award from the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI), the 2018 Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC) Joe Allen Human Relations Award, the 2018 National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Inclusion, Access, and Success Award, the 2018 CASC State Advocate of the Year award, and the 2019 Riverside County Office of Education Certificated Administrator of the Year. As a teen mom and first generation college graduate, she strives to show the impact that can be made when educators have high expectations for all students and when students pursue their dreams regardless of the odds against them. Her dedication to the students she serves is unparalleled and she takes the RCOE pledge to heart that ALL students will graduate from high school well prepared for college and the workforce.