Cristina Medellin-Paz (she/her/Ella) is the associate director for the Straus Center for Young Children and Families at Bank Street College of Education. Her research examines the systems and structures that support the early childhood workforce through professional development, leadership opportunities, and “stackable” credentials (e.g., credit-bearing credentials like the child development associate leading to two-year, four-year, and graduate degrees). As a first-generation college graduate and bilingual/bicultural developmental psychologist, she applies a critical lens in her research that uplifts and affirms communities of color.