Staff Spotlight: Celina Urquidez

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In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, this month’s Staff Spotlight features our Education & Training Senior Coordinator, Celina Urquidez! Celina has been dedicated to curating successful programming and training for years, and has done a great job supporting students at the university. This month Celina shares how she makes strides towards inclusion in her work and highlights the rich culture of working at the Sonoran Center. 

Briefly introduce yourself and talk about your role at the Sonoran Center. 

My name is Celina Urquidez, and I’m the Education & Training Senior Coordinator at the Sonoran Center. I coordinate our work in student education, community learning and engagement, professional development, and training. A big part of my role is creating opportunities for students and professionals to learn about disability and inclusion, while also connecting students with hands-on experiences through our training programs, like our certificate, internships, and fellowships.

Can you go into more detail about the programs you’re working on? 

I’m currently involved in a variety of projects, which is one of the things I really enjoy about my role. I work closely with our student training programs and help connect students from different disciplines around campus, like public health, medicine, psychology, and even Spanish, to opportunities at the Sonoran Center.

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I’m also involved in several projects focused on disability and health. Some of the projects I’m working on right now address topical issues for people with disabilities, like healthy relationships and sexual violence awareness and trauma-informed approaches to health care and crisis services. As part of these projects, we’re developing trainings, educational resources, and other helpful materials that can be used by professionals and community members.

Looking back, what inspired you to start doing the work you do? 

My path really developed from my interest in public health and my connection to the Tucson community. I’ve always been interested in how things like culture, language, and financial status affect people's health, opportunities, and ability to access resources.

As I leaned into my interest in public health, I became more aware of health equity and the barriers people experience because systems aren't designed with their needs in mind. My work at the Sonoran Center has given me an opportunity to combine that interest with education, community engagement, and disability inclusion.

How do these experiences inform the work that you do here? 

I've learned the importance of listening to people with lived experience. I think we do our best work when we're not just creating programs for people, but working with the people who are directly impacted.

That informs how I approach education and training. I try to think about whether information is accessible, practical, and relevant, and whose voice needs to be included in the conversation. It has also reinforced how valuable interdisciplinary work can be. Disability intersects with so many areas of health and community life, so bringing different perspectives together makes the work stronger.

How do you like working at the Sonoran Center? What makes it unique? What do you enjoy most about your work? 

I really enjoy working at the Sonoran Center because every day looks a little different, and I get to work with so many different people. I love that we don’t just talk about disability inclusion, we're creating opportunities for students and professionals to learn directly from people with lived experience and community partners.

I also think the interdisciplinary aspect of the Sonoran Center makes it really special. We’re all coming with so many different backgrounds, expertise, experience, ideas, and everyone brings something different to the work.

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What plans do you have for your time here, if any? 

I’d love to continue growing our education and training opportunities and finding new ways to connect students with meaningful, community-based experiences. Disability touches so many different systems and we want our trainees to understand those connections and develop the skills to work collaboratively across disciplines. By including real-life experiences for engagement to our programming, students aren't just learning about disability, they're doing the work, developing professional skills, building relationships, and contributing to real projects that connect directly with our communities. 

Any advice for people who might be interested in going into your field? 

Be curious and open-minded, listen, and don't be afraid to learn from people whose experiences are different from your own. You don't have to know everything when you start.

I’d also encourage anyone to get involved in something hands-on. Volunteer, do an internship, participate in a new project, or find opportunities to work directly with communities. Those experiences can teach you things you won't necessarily learn in a classroom.

Anything else you’d like to mention? 

I think one thing I’d want people to know is that disability is not a niche topic. It connects to virtually every area of life. There is room for disability inclusion in whatever field you're interested in. You don't necessarily have to be a disability specialist to make a difference, you just have to be willing to learn, listen, and think about how we can make our communities more inclusive.