Ana Del Valle
Power Words
Where were you born?
Des Moines, Iowa
What school did you attend?
Cleveland State University, College of Urban Affairs
What gained you interest in the NIH?
The NIH has a prestigious international reputation to improve the quality of human life, regardless of age, gender, race, location of origin or social-economic status. Employees perform meaningful work they can be proud of and are treated as valued staff. The NIH's main campus is located in a beautiful setting within Bethesda, Maryland close to D.C. and Virginia with easy access to museums, restaurants, seasonal activities and institutions of higher learning. I knew these factors would help maintain a healthy work-life balance. A person can spend an entire career at the NIH and still frequently learn something new.
What kind of work do you do at the NIH?
I began my NIH career as a Presidential Management Intern for two years and then moved into the area of budget, which I have been employed for the past twenty years. I have worked in the budget offices at The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Since 2010, I have been the Deputy Budget Officer at the NICHD. I oversee budget execution and reconciliation for NICHD’s HIV-AIDS & PEPFAR accounts as well as the trans-NIH Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act account. I frequently work, in partnership with other offices, on annual tasks such as the women’s health report, minority health report, and health disparities report. I also update the annual NICHD Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance listings for their Loan Repayment Program & Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research. One of my favorite tasks is working on the budget formulation for the HIV-AIDS budget submission for NICHD.
What message would you like to send to young Hispanics who are considering going to college?
Attending college is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself. Education helps mold you into the absolute best version of yourself by exposing you to new thoughts, facts, history of people & places and learning new skills. Being enrolled in higher education also helps with time and priority management, navigating new social environments, the opportunity to improve public speaking and writing ability. It is also a financial investment into yourself that may increase your earning potential significantly over a lifetime. Graduating from college demonstrates tenacity and patience; it shows the world that you established a goal for yourself and you stuck with it, until the end. There is also pride in knowing – "I did that, and no one can ever take it away from me." College students may find that they are positive role models for their friends, family, and community. "For any problem, no matter how big or complex it may be, there is a solution" ~Earl Nightingale (1921-1989).