Team

Silmady Peralta is the Senior Director of People & Culture at uAspire, where she leads the organization’s people operations, including human resources strategy, talent acquisition and recruitment, employee engagement, and staff development. In this role, she partners with senior leadership to build and strengthen systems that support teams across the full employee lifecycle ranging from hiring and onboarding to performance support, professional growth, and retention, while fostering a positive workplace culture.

Previously, Silmady served as Regional Advising Manager, overseeing a team of College Affordability Advisors across New York. She focused on team leadership, coaching, and professional development, ensuring advisors had the tools, guidance, and support needed to succeed in a fast-paced, student-centered environment.

Before joining uAspire, Silmady spent nearly four years at Queens Community House in a variety of roles. She supported students and families in District 30 as the Community School Director at P.S. 149, and also served as an Intern Supervisor and College Success Counselor within the College Access and Success Program, gaining hands-on experience in program leadership, staff supervision, and community partnership.

Silmady holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S.Ed. in School Counseling from Queens College As a first-generation, minority community college student, I experienced a lack of support and essential resources that every college student deserves when navigating the financial aid process. This experience sparked my passion for helping low-income students with affordability planning and financial aid applications. uAspire is actively changing this narrative, and I am grateful to be part of an organization that centers and advocates for minority students as they pursue and succeed in their postsecondary paths.