Joining JoCI’s LA Professional Network only strengthened Valdez’s newfound learning experiences and community. Unlike some professional networking groups, the JoCI Pro Network welcomes participants across the spectrum of professional experience—from those who have worked in Jewish communal spaces for decades, like Valdez, to those who are brand new to the field. For Valdez, it is a space to both grow professionally and find deeper community as they build their own Jewish adult life in Southern California.