Paty Villegas

Paty Villegas is a career and education STEM consultant who has guided thousands of students toward high-skilled, high-wage jobs in emerging STEM industry sectors. She has served as a MESA Program Counselor at Mission College since February 2022, a STEM Counselor at Foothill College since August 2023, and previously worked as a Puente Counselor and Co-Coordinator at Foothill College from September 2022 to June 2023. In these roles, she provides educational and career counseling to underrepresented, first-generation and economically disadvantaged students in the STEM transfer pipeline, strengthening recruitment, retention and completion rates for Hispanic and Latinx students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. She evaluates transcripts, clears prerequisites, interprets certificate and associate degree requirements, assists students with STEM workforce and internship opportunities, and supports successful transfer to four-year CSU, UC and private universities.?

From September 2019 to June 2023, Paty worked as an Adjunct Instructor and STEM Counselor at Evergreen Valley College, where she taught courses on career planning and college success to undergraduate students while providing one-on-one counseling on academic, vocational, career and personal matters. She assisted students with educational planning, major selection, transcript evaluation and transfer processes, created career lesson plans on LinkedIn branding, networking and cover letters, and prepared students for behavioral interviews and recruiter phone screens. As founder of Paty Villegas Consulting from October 2019 to December 2022, she created Career with Purpose Academy, an online program providing group and one-on-one mentorship to aspiring professionals, and delivered career and college readiness workshops to over 1,000 students across 6th through 12th grade schools, colleges, nonprofit organizations and migrant programs. She also taught remotely as a Digital Connector Instructor for ConXion to Community, served as an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University teaching master level social work students, worked as a School Social Worker at Columbia Middle School where she founded the STRIVE program for defiant and low academic students, and served as a Family Specialist at Uplift Family Services working with at risk youth.?

Paty holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from San José State University, and an Associate of Arts in Sociology from Evergreen Valley College. Her extensive training in social work, counseling and career development informs her mission to inspire the next generation by providing the knowledge, guidance and education they need to conquer their career goals. She is driven to focus her work primarily with first-generation young adults and is passionate about supporting the next generation to compete in the ever-changing world of work.