GRAD SPOTLIGHT: Marily De Alba Gonzalez

Program Associate at Latino Community Foundation

Master of Arts in Global and International Studies

Universidad de Salamanca, Class of 2022

San Francisco State University, Class of 2019

Lincoln High School, San Jose 2016

December 2023 // by Donna Guldimann

The old saying about no grass growing under her feet applies 100% to Marily. Both in high school and in college, Marily was constantly networking, searching for new opportunities and internships, all while being a top student. Marily understood only her persistence could help her overcome her limited connections and financial instability. Sophomore year Marily interned for a California State Senator in San

Francisco and although POE provided a stipend she still worked at Starbucks and attended SFSU full-time. Marily always wanted to live abroad so she worked over 20+ hours a week and saved everything she could to spend her junior year at SciencesPo, a top French university where she earned a certificate in Foreign Affairs and Strategy. After her year abroad, Marily returned to SF State and graduated a semester early with a Bachelor’s in Political Science.

From the initial interview to becoming a POE-South Bay recipient, Marily was determined to go beyond earning a bachelor’s degree, and she did. Marily spent the next two years studying in Spain, despite the pandemic, and ultimately completed a master’s program in Global and International Studies, specializing in science, technology, and global affairs. In order to write her master’s thesis, titled, “Reintegration Processes Through Software Coding Boot Camps: The Case of Mexican Women Returnees”, Marily spent over a month in Mexico City where she conducted field research with the support of faculty from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. The in-person interviews that she conducted there helped her solidify her research on how marginalized women can break into the male-dominated tech sector by participating in coding boot camps.

The thread that weaves through all her studies and efforts is to be a citizen and student of the world and learn practical ways to help those in need. All these experiences helped her land a position with the World Economic Forum where she coordinated and supported a multitude of projects, including the Global Future Council on the Future of AI and Responsible Investment in AI. Recently she left the World Economic Forum to join the new CEO Julian Castro at the Latino Community Founday where she is a Program Assistant. We are very proud of Marily and glad to have been able to support her on her journey to success.