Candelaria (Candy) Moralez  (she/her) graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor of University Studies with minors in Social Science and Business. Candelaria is the Associate Director of Member Programs and Engagement at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), an NGO in Arlington, VA, whose mission is to advance pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice, and service. In her current role, she is involved in various DEI initiatives as part of the DEIA steering committee, focusing on health disparities/health equity initiatives and DEI-related professional development activities, including workshops, training, leadership development, and other specialized programming for all AACP stakeholders. Her passion for social justice was sparked when she began working for UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization nearly 14 years ago. During her tenure at UnidosUS, Candelaria worked with NGOs across the country to provide programs and services to Hispanic communities. Working for a national organization that partners with community-based organizations across the country provided Candelaria with a great understanding of how policies at the national level impact local communities, with one of the biggest issues being immigration. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Candelaria was well versed in immigrants' struggles when seeking a better life in the United States and the structural barriers in place to prevent the attainment of “The American Dream.”

ASU’s SJHR MA Program: Candelaria’s personal and professional experiences led her to pursue a MA degree in Social Justice and Human Rights. Her research interests have included various issues, including institutional racism and police violence, women’s rights, and immigration and asylum, with one of her more recent research projects focused on LGBT asylum-seekers. During this workshop on Asylum and Immigration, she hopes to learn about the critical work the presenting organizations are engaging in and identify opportunities to further her research in this area.