Elia Hilda Bueno was born and raised in the border town of Laredo, Texas. Elia graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas State University. She developed an interest in the inequities among the Latino population through her honors thesis, which focused on the predictors of teen pregnancy rates among Latinas in the border. After gaining two years of work experience in a mental health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in the Rio Grande Valley, she went on to pursue her Master of Arts in Psychological Research at Texas State University. Her master’s thesis focused on behaviors and feelings toward Mexican immigrants, which examined prejudice, attitudes towards Hispanics, two of the Big Five 5 personality traits (i.e., openness and agreeableness), and acculturation. Afterwards, she decided to work for two years as an elementary school teacher in inner city San Antonio, TX, which served an underserved Latino population. As a result, she developed a passion and interest for reducing the achievement gap among Latinos. As a first-generation college student and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Elia believes in the development of programs that can empower the Latino community.