Alexa grew up in Guatemala City, Guatemala. She completed her undergraduate studies at Duke University, where she obtained a Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience and a certificate in Global Health. During her junior year, Alexa spent a semester abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, studying international health and interning in the Policy and Advocacy office of the International AIDS Society (IAS). The following summer, she worked at the AIDS 2010 Conference in Vienna, Austria, as the liaison between the IAS and UNDP's Red Ribbon Award committee. Her fieldwork has spanned from providing academic support in the Women's Literacy department of Safe Passage in Guatemala City to facilitating a group prenatal care program for Latin American women living in North Carolina. After college, she accepted a position as a clinical research coordinator in the orthopedic trauma department of NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. Whenever possible, Alexa loves to travel and the opportunity it provides for her to explore new languages, food and cultures.