Lorena Gaibor

I come to academia by way of community organizing and activism. As a first-generation Latina, my passion centers on understanding and working to challenge systemic oppression especially centered on race/ethnicity and immigration issues. Through my community ties and experiences, I bring activism to the classroom with the goal of creating bridges between the students and the community.

Clinical Assistant Professor Lorena Gaibor serves as program coordinator of GSSW's Latinx Social Work Certificate. Before her appointment to the GSSW faculty in 2016, Gaibor worked in New Jersey. Gaibor was engaged in direct practice macro work coordinating and directing community-led programming and organizing efforts including advocacy for affordable housing, statewide disaster redevelopment, neighborhood redevelopment, and immigration reform. Gaibor obtained for MSW at Rutgers University in 2009.

More recently, Gaibor has continued her community work in Denver through outreach and advocacy efforts related to immigration reform and solidarity work with communities in resistance in the U.S. and Latin America. Through her work with the Denver Justice and Peace Committee, Casa de Paz and other local organizations, she is engaged with social justice work in the community. As a first-generation Latina, Gaibor is cognizant of the importance of representation within higher education and in the field of social work. Gaibor strives to bridge the divide between the academy and local communities, through local guest lecturers, student participation in community projects, and an international course in Chiapas, Mexico.