Lupe Sotelo Valenzuela

Lupe Sotelo (they/them/elle) is a first-generation college student and child of farmworkers and land-caretakers with family roots in northern and central Mexico, whose relationship to land, plants, and community care has shaped both their life and work. They earned their Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Medical Sciences and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, deepening their commitment to environmental care and reciprocal relationships with the natural world. After graduation, Lupe worked with the National Park Service at Saguaro National Park as a Biological Science Technician, supporting natural resources management, environmental education, and interpretation, and later served as a community science instructor and school-to-park liaison with the Ironwood Tree Experience, connecting youth and families to land-based learning.

Now pursuing a Master of Science in Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona, Lupe’s work weaves together Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), culturally affirming environmental education, and Traditional Mexican medicine as pathways for collective healing and empowerment. As a Graduate Assistant in the Guerrero Student Space, they lead Botanica Coatlicue, cultivating spaces where students can reconnect with ancestral plant knowledge, wellness practices, and community care. A longtime caretaker of the Wassaja Oidag, Lupe continues to tend and care for the space and, with support from a Campus Sustainability Fund grant received this year, is working to sustain and expand the garden’s role as a site for land-based learning, healing, and community connection.