Valerie Cabral is the Director of Alumni Relations at New York University Tandon School of Engineering, where she joined in April 2012. In her previous role as an Assistant Director for New York University Opportunity Programs, she had nearly 25 years of experience working with undergraduate and graduate students from low-income, minority and immigrant backgrounds. Her career with NYU Opportunity Programs focused on developing initiatives that provided academic, financial, and cultural support to first-generation college students and their families. For the last several years, Valerie also directed the Programs' efforts to identify, locate and re-engage alumni. She earned a BA in journalism from NYU and worked as a commodities and insurance reporter for the Journal of Commerce Newspaper. She holds a certificate in cross-cultural training from NYU's Center for Multicultural Education & Programs and a certificate in fundraising from NYU's George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. She is the recipient of the Center for Multicultural Education & Programs 2011 Nia Administrators Award.