Valencia quickly reached out to many groups and individuals to expand her advocacy work. She joined the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation and became a member of their Board.  An active member, she serves on various committees and visits the state capitol in Tallahassee advocating for legislation that would make life easier for cancer patients and for funds to continue research and treatment for patients.Valencia expanded her advocacy to a national level.  She graduated from NBCC’s Project LEAD science training program in 2017.  She quickly put her training to use, reviewing for the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program, which challenges the scientific community to design research that will address the urgency of ending breast cancer.   Valencia works with the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, and as an NBCC representative with the Oncology Nursing Society, on projects to help improve care for women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. She sits on committees, such as the triple negative committee for a pharmaceutical firm, advising on clinical trial design from a patient perspective.

As a national advocate, Valencia has participated in several NBCC Leadership Summits and Lobby Days, meeting with her Senators and Representatives to advance the group’s public policy agenda. In her local community, for the past eight years, she has sponsored a free Wellness Retreat for breast cancer patients and survivors. She served as a panelist at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

In 2013 she was selected as a National Teacher of the Year by People Magazine. She is an author and speaker who uses her personal testimony to encourage others to change their outlook on the miracle of daily life. Valencia continues to embrace every opportunity to educate herself as an advocate and makes certain she disseminates what she learns to her community and beyond.