Valerie Silva is Vice President of Compliance and Counsel at Guild Mortgage, a national lender, who supports Silva’s journey with BookSpring. Originally from New Mexico, Silva learned how to read at the age of 4. Money was tight growing up, but somehow her parents always made sure she was surrounded by books. Silva is now an avid reader and always has a book nearby. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of literacy and the importance of children having access to books in order to foster a culture of literacy in their lives. Silva also believes in the power of philanthropy. She’s been an Austinite for the last 13 years and, while she’s not a parent, or a person who works with books or with children, she still felt pulled to support BookSpring and its mission.