Valli’s Quaker parents instilled in her, by instruction and example, the importance of always striving to leave the world a better place than she found it. At 20 years old she felt a calling to become a midwife, a profession integral to women’s rights, health, nutrition, global equality in access to healthcare, and social justice.

In 1987 she graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing and began to practice as a Registered Nurse. She also attended a lay midwifery program and began attending homebirths as an assistant to a Licensed Midwife in California. At the time, the medical profession actively persecuted homebirth participants, so Valli recalls that being involved felt like participating in an underground revolution for women’s reproductive rights. Defying the law was civil disobedience congruent with her Quaker training.

Over the next 20 years Valli continued to work as a maternity nurse, helping an award-winning facility, Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center of Santa Cruz, build a first-rate community reputation for woman-centered care. She volunteered in her community and around the world, always working for and advocating for improved, patient-centered care of women and children. She has been a childbirth educator, gestational diabetes counselor, an NRP instructor, a certified medical interpreter in Spanish, conducted postpartum home visits, led department tours to expectant parents, and served on quality improvement committees.

Valli’s hunger for knowledge was re-awakened when she traveled to various parts of the world and witnessed the disparities between third and first world healthcare. The experience inspired her to learn more in order to be a greater asset to the communities she serves. In spite of being diagnosed with a learning disability when re-entering academia, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing with a minor in Women’s Studies from San José State University, Magna Cum Laude, in 2016, and her Master’s Degree in Nursing from Georgetown University in April, 2020.

After graduation, Vallie’s goal is to work with Salud Para La Gente, a FQHC in Watsonville California, serving a nearly all Latino/a population, many of whom are migrant workers and immigrants from Latin America. She plans to travel to areas around the world where underserved populations need care and education. She will advocate for improved, more equitable healthcare systems. She hopes to teach in nursing and midwifery programs, and help raise the next generation of social justice warriors for peace and equality.