Valentina is a native of Boston and the daughter of Colombian parents. After graduating from Berkeley Law in 2014, Valentina joined the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where she participated in a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections for inadequate medical care, mental healthcare, and noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Following that, Valentina became an Assistant Public Defender in Birmingham, Alabama where she represented clients in specialty courts and in jury trials. She then joined The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, where she provided direct representation to people deemed unable to represent themselves in immigration removal proceedings under Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder. Valentina has been the Executive Director of ALWAYS since June 2021.