Claudia Espinosa is the Founder and Executive Director of Latinas On the Verge of Excellence – L.O.V.E. Mentoring, a nonprofit organization focused on addressing the specific challenges that adolescent Latinas face nationwide but are more prevalent in NYC. Self-esteem, mental health, and school retention issues adversely affect young Latinas, their development into women, and their larger Hispanic community at disparate rates than other racial or ethnic groups. Her goal has been to support and empower Latina youth and diverse young women to strive for success in school and life to realize their greatest dreams. Through her leadership, The L.O.V.E. Mentoring Program has developed a comprehensive mentoring and health-based curriculum that has increased high school graduation rates, college enrollment, and healthier lifestyles among young women.

In 2000, Espinosa moved to New York City from Cali, Colombia. She became a personal trainer to support herself as a college student. In 2004, she continued her degree in psychology, which she had begun in Colombia. Constantly striving to set new standards of personal, professional, and academic excellence, Espinosa received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Forensic Psychology with magna cum laude honors from the City University of New York. She earned her second M.A. degree in Public Administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Espinosa also holds an Ed.M. degree in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education at NYU Steinhardt.

Her personal struggle as an immigrant has informed the way in which she understands and navigates the challenges that must be overcome to succeed in a foreign country. Espinosa knows that resilience, determination, commitment, hard work, and self-confidence are crucial to mastering challenges such as learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, and separating from one's family. Her success in each of these areas gives her the credibility to be a role model to show, guide, and support young Latinas and other young women in attaining their most ambitious goals.

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