Latinas Juntas: Annual Event Provides Peer Support and Mentorship for Latina Students

The 5th annual Latinas Juntas event, presented by the Office of Student Development (OSD), was held on Nov. 9 in the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills. The brainchild of OSD psychologists Dr. Denna Sanchez and Dr. Monica Rosas-Baines, the day-long conference is designed to provide support and empowerment to Latina students through conversations with mentors and role models from on and off campus, and activities that celebrate the differences and similarities within a broad scope of Latina culture.

“We want our students to know that there is a community of Latinas who are eager to offer support, mentorship and guidance in order to foster personal growth and success,” says Rosas-Baines. “As psychologists who provide therapy to CSUDH students, we observed that our Latina clients reported similar cultural pressures and obstacles that often interfere with educational success, including family and gender role conflicts, lack of role models, isolation on campus, and personal insecurities. These clinical observations, coupled with the alarming statistics on Latina retention, inspired us to design this program.”

Sanchez and Rosas-Baines, who also facilitate Nosotras, a weekly chat group for Latinas, decided to organize Latinas Juntas during the fall semester so that students can make connections that would help them throughout the school year and, hopefully, beyond. The day’s activities are designed to challenge students to take personal responsibility for their education, explore the role of culture and family in their academic careers, engage students in personal and interpersonal development, promote self-awareness, celebrate diversity among Latinas and establish a support network among Latina students, faculty, staff and community.

Junior Rosa Aguilar is the historian for the Dominguez Hills chapter of Kappa Delta Chi, a co-sponsor for Latinas Juntas. She describes the event as “really empowering.”

“We get to network not only with students but with faculty and professionals who motivate us to be like them,” says the communications/public relations major. “We feel like we can do it because they did it.”

One such off-campus supporter of Latina students is Claudia Soto-Neira, public relations manager for IKEA’s Hispanic markets in Los Angeles and Orange County. A first-time facilitator at Latinas Juntas, she was enthusiastic to share her experiences with students.

“I learned that as the IKEA representative in the Los Angeles Hispanic community, I need to spend more time in sharing my experiences, failures and successes with fellow Latinas,” she says. “I've been where most Latinas Juntas attendees have been and faced the same frustrations and challenges. But, I've been able to overcome many of them with the help of my husband, family and, also, my company. I hope to help as many Dominguez Hills Latina students as possible be empowered, succeed and make a difference in their local communities.”

Alumna Monica Lomeli (Class of ’07, B.A., anthropology/behavioral science) is now a graduate student in sociology at UC Santa Barbara. A former McNair Scholar, she credits guidance from programs like McNair and Latinas Juntas as instrumental to her personal and academic development.

“The effects of powerful mentors were greater when Drs. Baines and Sanchez mentored me during my McNair research given that they were someone I could openly relate to,” she says. “The importance of mentorship for Latina students, whether from someone like them or someone different in background, is significant in helping them see the end results of completing an advanced education.”

Lomeli served as a facilitator for the event in her senior year at Dominguez Hills. She says that, “My main goal in coming back as a graduate student — and a future Latina Ph.D. and professor — is to be a testament to what we as Latinas can achieve given the often impoverished environments we grow up in.”

Freshman Christina Rivero is the first member of her family to go to college and is pursuing her degree in political science/criminal justice despite her parents’ misgivings.

“My parents think that it’s more important for a guy to get education because they need to support their family and a woman could stay at home and do chores,” says Rivero, who has two younger brothers. “That’s why I want to prove them wrong. I could be somebody and achieve as much as a guy could.”

Asked what she will remember most from the day, Rivero says, “I feel that I could change what is expected of me. I could apply now what I think, not what other people want me to think or do.”

Another revelation for Latinas Juntas participants is often the fact that Latinas of diverse backgrounds all have the same issues and obstacles while pursuing a college education. Rosas-Baines and Sanchez underscore the value of students interfacing with professional women who share similar cultural backgrounds.

“Our evaluations consistently indicate that our participants need this type of event and value the experience,” Sanchez says. “We have learned that our Latina students benefit from spending time with women of color who have achieved professional success. We are continuously impressed that, despite the fact that many of the participants have experienced complicated life circumstances such as financial difficulties, lack of family support, immigration and acculturation issues, sexism, and racism, they continue to persevere and are determined to improve their lives.”

Junior Everika Ibal is also the first in her family to attend college. She values the day’s experience for the sense of community it provides. The child development major, who is also involved in the campus organizations, Hermanas Unidas and Espíritu de Nuestro Futuro says that she tends to stick to her own friends even while taking part in group activities, but is learning that she needs to go outside of her circle for a fulfilling college experience.

“Even though we’re different in so many ways, inside we’re so alike,” says Ibal. “You get to meet other Latinas and find out that you’re not the only one going through obstacles.

“I’ll always remember the importance of unity,” she says of her Latinas Juntas experience. “You could do so much by yourself, but with everybody [together], you could do so much more.”

- Joanie Harmon