Dora has a bachelor of arts and master of arts in Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American studies from Vanderbilt University. In 2016 Dora was a Fulbright fellow in Brazil and worked with the U.S. Department of State’s advising center EducationUSA. Upon her return to the United States, she initiated Tennessee’s first free Spanish Adult Education Program at the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Prior to her work at NIJC, Dora interned as a researcher at the Brazil Institute in Washington D.C. where she published articles on education reform, deforestation, and emerging political leaders in Brazil. Dora has been at NIJC since 2018 and continues to teach continuing education classes through the Borough of Manhattan Community Colleges.