Dawn Valadez is a queer, Xicana, filmmaker, social worker, artist, youth development specialist, resource wrangler, and impact strategist. Raised by her Mexican American single mother, she never planned on being a filmmaker. Her award-winning, ITVS funded, feature documentary (with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan), Going on 13, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Her media work focuses on race, class, education and coming of age in the 21st Century U.S.