Q&A with Naishaly Vélez Galán, Survivor Advocate in UAlbany’s Office of Health Promotion

A young women with dark curly hair and glasses wearing a green fleece coat and backpack stands, smiling, inside a rustic structure made of interwoven twigs and fairy lights with snow in the foreground.
Vélez Galán on a visit to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY. (Image provided)

By Erin Frick 

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2024) — Naishaly Vélez Galán is an integral member of the Office of Health Promotion, serving in the role of survivor advocate since July 2023. A proud University at Albany alum, Vélez Galán holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and theatre. 

As an undergrad, Vélez Galán was deeply involved in the Student Association Senate, which spurred her interest in turning advocacy into action. As senate chair, much of Vélez Galán’s work focused on creating space for students who were survivors of power-based personal violence (i.e., intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking and exploitation).

While connecting students with existing resources, Vélez Galán and her fellow Senate members identified an institutional gap: services were available, but there was a need for a dedicated advocate to guide and support students using these resources. In collaboration with Student Association colleagues, university administrators and the Office of Health Promotion, Vélez Galán supported the creation of new and expanded advocacy resources for students on campus.

Vélez Galán shared insights on her role at UAlbany, key tenants of survivor advocacy, and how she is serving the broader community this year as the 2024 Albany Tulip Queen.  

How did you come to the Office of Health Promotion?

During my undergraduate career, I was the chair of the Student Association Senate. In this role, I honed my advocacy skills and was able to collaborate with leaders at the University to address the needs of our student population. It was deeply inspiring to see how student organizing and collaboration can produce real institutional change. 

A woman with dark curly hair and glasses stands beside a large pile of blue and red duffle bags.
Vélez Galán packs comfort bags for victims of sexual assault during UAlbany’s annual ‘We Care’ event, produced by the Office of Health Promotion. (Image provided)

Recently, I have loved traveling! I have enjoyed visiting Orlando, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas, Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In my role as the City of Albany 2024 Tulip Queen, I also had the opportunity to visit Nijmegen, Netherlands (Albany’s Sister City) last month. While there, I represented the City of Albany as part of a delegation sent to further our city’s relationship. It was an honor to participate in the unveiling of a plaque highlighting the history of the sisterhood between Albany and Nijmegen, while also making time to visit colleges, museums, historical sites and a brief trip to Germany. This trip is an excellent example of all the things I love doing—visiting a new place, with good food and even better people.