What are you proud of?
I have been a proud Counselor for the past 19 years servicing the community in counseling, advising and guiding students to reach their career, personal, and academic goals. I have brought career services and job/internships opportunities to students as well as career exploration to help students make informed decisions about careers and majors.
What motivates you?
I pursued both my undergraduate and graduate degree at LMU and graduated with honors for my Master's degree. The LMU Counseling program prepared me well to become a counselor at the community colleges. I especially remember my career counseling class where we had to develop a plan on how we would develop a career center at our school (or place of employment) if we were career counselors. This dream of mine, at the time I was a student, ended up becoming a reality for me. I am especially proud of the fact that when I was a student at LMU from 1994 to 1999 I was a single parent. Despite the barriers of being a single mom, low-income, minority student and first-generation college student, I was able to persevere as I was determined to have a better future and help others like myself reach their educational goals.
How has your work made an impact on your community?
In 2016, I joined the LA Mission College. It never had a Career Center nor dedicated Career Counselor for its students on campus. Since the time I came on board to be the Career Counselor, I conducted various workshops, events, programs, for the students including initiation and implementation of an online job board which provides access to local jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities for the students. I implemented a yearly "Major Fair" and "Job Fair" for students, providing them with networking opportunities and career/major information, helping them to make informed decisions. I also initiated Internship opportunities for our students through LA Chamber, Bixel Exchange and Build LACCD. I started a "Career Closet" for students where by students who are in need of professional clothing for job interviews have access to free clothing. I initiated a "Be Job Ready" program, under which the students attend three workshops (Resume Writing, Interview Skills, and Networking and LinkedIn) and receive a certificate indicating they have learned the skills needed for employment. Lastly, I designed a Career Information System for students who are "undecided" about their major to take a career assessment and learn about careers and majors in their respective fields of interest. I was also one of the original Guided Pathways facilitators implementing the statewide Guided Pathways initiative on our campus and creator of the original "Meta Majors" Matrix for our campus, now called "Career and Academic Pathways."