As scholarship program director, Ana is responsible for launching and managing the Michigan Equity, Courage, Hope, and Opportunity scholarship program for Michiganders who are unable to access federal financial aid. This program, in collaboration with the Office of Global Michigan and the Office of Sixty by 30 within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, is intended to work parallel to the Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect scholarship programs. Ana also oversees an advisory council to help guide the scholarship program and ensure the program is meeting the needs of the communities it intends to serve.

Prior to joining MCAN, Ana spent four years as program coordinator for the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan, which is tasked with advising the governor on the needs and concerns of approximately 486,000 Hispanics/Latinos in Michigan, as well as overseeing the commission's scholarship program. She also worked in the Michigan State University GEAR UP program, where she mentored underrepresented students, and in MSU’s High School Equivalency Program, where she taught adult learners from the agricultural and migrant farm worker communities.

Ana earned a Bachelor of Arts in social work from Michigan State University and then attended graduate school at the University of Michigan, where she obtained her Master of Social Work. Ana credits her love for education to her parents and MSU’s Educational Talent Search, which exposed her to a new realm of postsecondary possibilities. Ana is the daughter of seasonal farmworkers who believed education was the key to success and that through hard work, anything was possible. As a first-generation college student, Ana endured many obstacles that made her question whether she would be able to complete her degree. Through perseverance and with the help of an amazing support system she built along the way, Ana was able to push through and finish her degrees. These experiences helped her discover a passion for helping others seeking to pursue higher education.

Ana loves to spend time with her family and also enjoys spending time outdoors (except in the winter), scrapbooking, and making her friends laugh.