Marisol - Staff Spotlight Series
We created this Staff Spotlight Series to give our HFK Family the opportunity to learn more about our team and the work they do behind the scenes. Check out Marisol’s interview below!
Marisol Valencia
Communications Director
1) How did you first learn about HFK and what attracted you to HFK’s work?
During my freshman year (2011) at Saint Mary’s College of California, I first heard of HFK when my RA was preparing for a Peru trip. My RA introduced me to Randy (our Founder) and I joined his indoor soccer class where I met several other HFK Alumni.
Three years later (2014), during my junior year, I finally went on my first HFK trip for a month to the Dominican Republic. I loved that HFK created opportunities to step away from the business of life to give back to communities, play sports with kids, and learn about cultures outside of one’s own.
2) What do you do in your role with HFK and what is your favorite part of it?
I run all of HFK’s social media platforms and support with content creation for other internal and external HFK communications (newsletters, trip recaps, website, etc.) I love being able to showcase the work our staff and service trip teams are doing locally and internationally. I also enjoy helping our organization stay connected to our HFK Fam and supporters through our social media!
3) What have been your biggest accomplishments for you in your role?
I have been a part of the HFK Communications department for 10 years now! I first came on as an intern and it eventually became a staff role. I am proud of how much our online presence has grown, especially since 2020 when we rebranded and made efforts to be more interactive and intentional on social media.
I loved hosting our first Instagram giveaway this past March, and hope to be able to do more of these in the future!
4) Apart from your role in HFK, what else are you involved in?
I work full time as a mental health therapist at a community based clinic for San Diego State University where I work with parents, children, and families. I also continue to take HFK service trips! My husband and I have been leading HFK trips together for many years now and more recently started taking teams to Tijuana, Mexico. I love to play soccer and take walks with my dog Willow.
5) How would you like to reconnect with HFK alumni?
There are so many folks I’ve been on HFK trips with that I have not seen in-person in many years! I would love to have an alumni trip to the DR or Mexico or even just gather at a local park to share some lunch & catch up.
6) What is something you’d like others to know about HFK that they might not know?
While we are still connected with colleges and universities to recruit for teams, we invite people of all ages and life stages to serve with us. You don’t have to be a student or past HFK trip participant to join our teams. We welcome folks from all walks of life to join us!
