Alliance Member Spotlight: Christina Roman

Over the last decade, Alliance member Christina Roman has dedicated her career and philanthropic endeavors to champion financial empowerment for the next generation of leaders. Through her own personal financial struggles, she has humanized finance one story at a time, meeting people where they are and striking a chord with young audiences. The Long Beach native is no stranger to financial woes and for that reason she’s on a mission to help folks avoid some of her early credit pitfalls through her work as a Consumer Education and Advocacy Manager at Experian and as a member of the UCI-OC Alliance’s Student Success Committee’s Financial Literacy Initiative.

Growing up in a traditional Hispanic household, Christina recalls the rigid rules and high stakes environment she grew up in. As the eldest daughter and granddaughter, all eyes were on her and there was no room for error. Money was never talked about at home because it was considered a taboo topic and the emphasis was more on getting an education. Feeling the urge to discover her own identity and break free from her artificial bubble, Christina moved to the University of Colorado to pursue a news editorial major.

It was there that she first talked numbers. Through blogging, copywriting and social media content creation, she came across an opportunity in credit education. Her gut response was that she was the wrong person for the job, but leadership at Experian disagreed, stating she was the perfect person for the role. This lit a fire in Christina and through vulnerability she found her true calling for financial literacy.

"In life you are going to have to pivot. I can’t think of one person whose journey has been linear...Network. Be curious” are the words of wisdom she shares with students at UC Irvine. Her deep connection with the Alliance's mission is evident in everything she does. Whether serving as a judge for LIFEVest’s residential program, presenting a Credit 101 course to SAGE scholars, hosting groups of college students at Experian's headquarters, or providing one-on-one mentoring, Christina is always looking for ways to inspire the next generation of leaders. Through Christina's guidance, students don't just learn about credit scores, but they walk away with confidence and knowledge to build successful futures, transforming their relationship with money and opening pathways to opportunities they never thought possible.