January 3, 2024

NCAN Member of the Month January 2024: Meredith Curry Nuñez

Source: National College Attainment Network (NCAN)

On January 3, 2024, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) highlighted Mer as their first Member of the Month for 2024. 

    Congratulations to our January 2024 Member of the Month (MeMo) Meredith Curry Nuñez! National College Attainment Network (NCAN) staff asked her both professional and personal questions so you can get to know her and the work she does better.

    “I’d like to complete a 10-day silent meditation retreat. I look forward to muting my ego and creating more spaciousness in my mind and heart. I’ve successfully completed 2,196 straight days of meditation (my goal was 2,000) which has dramatically changed my life and attitude.”

    Professional Questions

    Q: What brought you to the college access and success field initially?

    A: I am a first-generation college graduate, and I attribute my success to the support of programs like the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and my mentors. Leaders like Dwayne Cantrell, now at Cal State Bakersfield, and Claudia Morales, now at UC Berkeley, helped me access programs and resources so that I could go to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). My mother, Helena Curry, encouraged me to aim for college. Together, we started the Filipino Parents’ and Students’ Association club during my first year at Piedmont Hill High School in East San Jose, CA.
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    When I went to UCLA, I wanted to help students just like me in the same way. I worked for the GEAR UP program in Inglewood, CA, and EAOP at high schools throughout Los Angeles County. That work over my four-year journey at UCLA inspired me to aim for roles that allowed me to do the same work of advising students and supporting families. My professional and personal mission has been to lift up multiply marginalized and underserved communities ever since.

    Personality Questions

    Every month, our MeMos will be answering some fun questions to help us get to know their “out of office” side! To start off the series, Meredith graciously agreed to answer all seven questions so you can get a grasp for what MeMos will be discussing all year!

    Q: If you were dropped into any movie or TV show as a new main character, what movie or TV show would you pick and why?

    A: I would choose the TV show “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the Nickelodeon cartoon series, not the movie. I appreciate all the lessons in this story. It has calls to action to open your mind and heart to those different from you, care for all living things, embrace spirituality, honor our ancestors, and respect the Earth.

    I want to be a character in the Water Tribe with Katara. Healing is one of their gifts, and that’s the gift I want to have in the world.

    Read the rest of Mer’s Member of the Month profile at ​www.ncan.org/news/660637/Member-of-the-Month—January-2024-Meredith-Curry-Nuez.htm!