I met Valerie & Rudy at my social at Harvard University. She convinced me to go abroad with her SDSU program in Oaxaca, Mexico. It has been said that one does not truly learn a language, unless one lives it. It was one of the most influential experiences of my personal and academic life. Valerie taught me to live courageously. May I love and serve as she brilliantly lived. Germán Jiménez