Meet Our Mentors
David Valencia, Lead Mentor
About David:
If you were to ask anyone who knows me well what comes to mind when they think of me,
they would liken me to a bear for the strength, warmth, and protective nature a big brown guy
like me exudes.
Humor, broad emotional shoulders to hold the heavy concerns and stories of my people, and an impeccable attention to detail are what I bring to the table—you can say carrying for others is what
I have been accustomed to.
I started my career in education as a School Counselor in 2017, however, I quickly became dissatisfied due to the lack of opportunities to make lasting, positive impacts in the lives of the families and students I served.
In 2023, I decided to make a career shift and return to San Diego State to begin training as a Marriage and Family Therapist. My most meaningful work while in the program came when I was working as a Grief Counselor at The Elizabeth Hospice.
Working there provided the greatest inspiration for creating Peer Support, as it showed me that
while theory in practice and scholarship are important, they mean nothing if you cannot connect to the basic humanity and suffering of the person sitting across from you.
This is what I dubbed “the companioning heart-to-heart approach”, and it lies at the heart of my
emotional support work.