Guadalupe Quintanilla was born in Ojinaga,Chihuahua Mexico. For most of her childhood, she moved around to different states in Mexico as she lived with her paternal grandparents. During her childhood, Dr. Quintanilla did not receive any formal schooling; her grandparents, however, taught her how to read and write. When her grandfather became ill, she moved to Brownsville to live with her father. Although her father enrolled her in school, she dropped out shortly because she felt discriminated against. Dr. Quintanilla married at a young age, and by 21, she had 3 children. When her children reached a school age, the discriminatory practices they faced led her to learn English and attend college. She enrolled at Southmost College then transferred to Pan American College (now UTRGV). Her family moved to Houston in the late 1960s, and she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Houston, where she became the first director for the Center for Mexican-American Studies and the first Latina administrator in the university. Dr. Quintanilla became heavily involved with Houston's Mexican-American community, all while earning her Education degree from UH. She developed the Cross-Cultural Communication Program, a bilingual and cultural education program to bridge law enforcement officers and …