gt-team-grace-zarate_400Gracie Zarate is a Junior Political Science major at The University of the District of Columbia (UDC). Zarate was born in Peru and moved to Virginia when she was adopted at 9 years old. After graduating high school, Zarate began to work as a nanny and a preschool teacher. When she moved to DC in 2018, Zarate began her journey to earning her Child Development Associate (CDA) at Briya Charter School in Columbia Heights, DC. With a CDA under her belt and a political science degree from UDC, Zarate pictures her future in participating in policy-making towards providing necessary resources available, accessible, and affordable for all in the field of early childhood education.