Latinas Juntas: Seventh Annual Mentoring Event for Students Highlights “Wise Latinas”

The seventh annual Latinas Juntas was held in the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills on Oct. 30. This year’s theme, “Wise Latinas” was inspired by the story of Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Dr. Monica Rosas-Baines, a psychologist in the Office of Student Development, said that this year’s theme was chosen to highlight the potential in the students and encourage their inner worth.

“Wisdom isn’t something that you learn in class, it’s not about the degrees you have,” she told the assembled students. “It’s really [about] understanding your own dignity, your own value and that each one of you has something to contribute.”

Rosas-Baines developed the day-long mentoring and peer support event in 2003 with colleague Dr. Denna Sanchez in response to the prevailing similarity of challenges their Latina clients faced in pursuing higher education.

“This is an extension of the work we do with students one-on-one,” said Sanchez. “Our Latina students come to us for counseling [on] very similar obstacles: cultural pressures, family pressures, tradition, sex roles. It’s a common thread which is why we want to get them together in one forum to say, ‘You’re not alone. You’re experiencing something we experienced.’”

The program for Latinas Juntas includes icebreaker activities, small group discussion, and the opportunity for students to connect with not only each other but also faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who were once in their shoes as first-generation Latina college students.

Suzy Cervantes Davila (Class of '00, BA, psychology/Spanish) is the program coordinator and Greek organization advisor in the Office of Student Life. She has served as a facilitator for the workshop for two years and says that a program like Latinas Juntas would have helped her as a first-generation undergraduate.

“There’s a need to inspire and motivate our young Latina women,” she said. “We are always told to ask questions. But as first-generation students, we don’t know what questions to ask. Instead of finding out or figuring things out, we remain quiet and go along with the flow. I want to inspire and motivate them and let them know that there are many resources, they need that extra push and guidance.”

Laura Talamante, assistant professor of history, told students that she benefited from a program similar to Latinas Juntas when she attended Sacramento Community College as a first-generation, single mother college student.

“There were avenues to explore that I didn’t know were open to me,” she said. “I got to [UC] Berkeley because in a supportive environment like this, it was [a] ‘wise Latina’ who said, ‘Why not apply to Berkeley?’ Doors open up when people look at you and see your potential in ways that you, for whatever reason, have not.”

President Mildred García greeted the students at the beginning of the event with the story of her own struggles through college and the admonishment to “Look for mentors and never let anybody stomp on your dream.”

“I was told by my guidance counselor that I would never go to college,” said García. “I was told that after I got into college that I wouldn’t be at [a certain] type of university, or that I’d never be a [university] president.”

Norma Castillo is a transfer student from East Los Angeles College. She found García’s speech so moving that she decided to extend her education and pursue her doctorate.

“The facilitators and President García empowered us,” said Castillo, a junior majoring in psychology. “They all overcame their unique yet common challenges in more difficult times. As a result, they are now in positions to open doors for the rest of us. This made me feel that it’s highly possible for me to do the same.”

Patricia Miranda, a senior majoring in Chicana/o studies, said that that it is typical in the Latino culture for older siblings to help pave the way through the American education system. She has assisted her younger brother with financial support, speaking to his high school counselors on his behalf, and helping him with paperwork for financial aid.

“Because I am the first in my family to go to college and I had to learn on my own how to navigate the college system, my family expects me to help my brother with the same process,” she says. “One of the distractions that Latinas come across when pursuing their education is the issue of familismo which means that we have a responsibility to our families. When there is a family crisis, a daughter or other children are needed to help the family through and many times that burden causes many Latinas to drop out or postpone their education.”

Miranda also said that the cultural expectation of young women to marry and start a family is a stumbling block to many Latina college students.

“I have three half-brothers and my younger brother,” she said. “When I speak to one of my brothers on the phone the first thing he asks is when I'm getting married. It upsets me because I am going to college but he never asks [about that] until I bring it up.

“All these issues and more are shared by the majority of the Latina population but through Latinas Juntas, you learn and realize that you are not alone.”

Alejandra Hernandez, a senior in Chicana/o studies, participated in last year’s Latinas Juntas. She said that “being able to see yourself reflected in a talented, educated and successful Latina is very empowering.”

“The activities at the program really addressed the challenges that Latinas like myself face on a day-to-day basis in the education system as well as in society at large,” said Hernandez, who works as a case manager for the Personal Involvement Center in Los Angeles.

“I was not aware of how my culture creates these unique struggles and how they highly impact my education,” said Castillo. “To be able to meet other Latina students was very helpful because it made me realize that we are all connected as a whole through the shared struggles we all face at different times in our lives due to our Latina heritage. [Often] there is no one in our families to help us navigate. That is why we all need one another.”

For more information on Latinas Juntas and other mentoring programs in the Office of Student Development, click here.

- Joanie Harmon