Elena Valenzuela-Stookey

(413) 687-1601 | evstookey@gmail.com | 53 Fairfield St. Amherst, MA 01002

EXPERIENCE
Research Assistant (August 2018 - current)
Bird Bank – New York/New Jersey
▪ Remotely conducting market research for a retail bank startup working to build community-based
alternatives to predatory payday lending
University Helpline Operator (June 2018 ‒ August 2018)
Dean of Students Office, University of Massachusetts ‒ Amherst, MA
▪ Trained in the offices of Financial Aid, Bursars and Housing
▪ Guided current and incoming students (and parents) through administrative requirements (e.g., financial
aid/award packages, loan applications, appeal processes, tuition & bills, payment plans)
▪ Problem-solved in fast-paced, multitasking environment.
▪ Conducted preventative outreach to incoming first-generation students
Writing Tutor (December 2016 ‒ April 2017)
Holyoke Community College Writing Center ‒ Holyoke, MA
▪ Assisted undergraduate students with college course writing assignments
▪ Organized materials for papers, worked through stages of drafting, proofreading, research and
documentation
Public Affairs Communications Intern (June 2015 ‒ October 2015)
Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund ‒ New York, NY
▪ Composed material to promote the Fund, drafted social media posts and tracked account activity
▪ Collected daily news clips distributed to all departments, created and managed database of PR contacts
▪ Lobbied legislative offices in Washington D.C. at PP Generation Action Conference

EDUCATION
Commonwealth Honors College of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA)
B.A. in Political Science ‒ expected graduation May 2019
Current GPA: 4.0/4.0
Holyoke Community College (Holyoke, MA)
Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts and Science ‒ May 2017
GPA: 3.97/4.0
Barnard College of Columbia University (New York, NY)
September 2014 ‒ February 2015
Medical Withdrawal

AWARDS & CERTIFICATES

Marion W. Copeland Honors Program Scholarship ‒ 2017
David C. Knapp Scholarship ‒ 2018
Dean’s List for Academic Achievement ‒ 2016, 2017, 2018
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Certification

PUBLICATIONS
“Hello! May I Assist You in Taking on a Lifetime of Debt.” The New York Times. (2018, October 13).
“Just One More Reason Planned Parenthood Should Be Supported – Not Attacked.” Feministing. (2015).

SKILLS
▪ Fluent in Spanish / Bi-cultural fluency / Nicaraguan-American
▪ Versatile ability to research and analyze information
▪ Extensive experience with Microsoft Windows XP and Office programs; and social media applications
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.