Vanessa was raised by her two parents alongside her younger brother. She was a Young Scholars Academy (YSA) scholarship student at the American School of Guatemala, having been selected from among 600 applicants. Serving on the leadership team for the YSA Camp enabled her to forge connections with fellow students while sharing her expertise and passion for STEM subjects such as Computer Science and Physics. Motivated by a lack of opportunities and recognizing the role of education in personal and national development, Vanessa is dedicated to helping others access higher learning and empower women to pursue STEM fields.