Claudia is a registered nurse and a dedicated volunteer for local schools. She served on the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees from 2010-2014 and the Santa Clara County Board of Education from 2014-2022. As a school board member she advocated for special education and for families facing socioeconomic and language barriers in school. She also championed environmental and climate resilience programs, among many other achievements.
Claudia was born in Colombia and moved to California with her family when she was nine years old. Her upbringing led to her strong sense of responsibility, integrity, and servant leadership. When she sees a need in her community, she steps in and works hard to meet it. Her lived experiences as an immigrant child in communities that suffer environmental injustices inform and fuel her desire to serve in the environmental advocacy community.
She has received the Morgan Hill Community Foundation Philanthropy Award, Silicon Valley NAACP Dorothy Irene Height Community Award, the California State Assembly Peacemaker Award, and the CARAS Community Champion in Government Award. She loves to dance salsa, read poetry, travel to Italy (the home of her grandfather), and cook empanadas at home.