Veronica Tapia

Program Director for College Advising Corps at UNC Wilmington

Veronica Tapia is the founding Program Director for College Advising Corps at UNC Wilmington. She graduated from NC State University in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature. She began her career in college access, serving as an AmeriCorps member with NC State College Advising Corps. As a college adviser at a Title I high school, Veronica helped her students navigate countless systemic barriers that make applying to college seemingly impossible for low-income and first-generation college students. She witnessed the exclusion of Latinx and non-English speaking families that prevented them from learning about post-secondary options. This motivated her to facilitate change at a higher level. She pursued her M.Ed in Student Affairs and Higher Education at Texas State University, a Hispanic Serving Institution. The bulk of her research centered around first-generation college, undocumented, and Latinx students. Veronica also completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification in Thailand and uses this experience to share the practice and philosophy of yoga to encourage health and healing in her community. In 2021, Veronica launched the College Advising Corps program at UNCW. Each year, Veronica hires and trains recent college graduates to serve as College Advisers in underserved high schools across Eastern NC. Veronica is passionate about empowering underrepresented students to reach their full potential and infiltrate positions of power.