Promoting Latinx Student Success Through Counseling Meet Dr. Marcy Ramirez the new Latinx counselor at Counseling and Consultation Services at Ohio State. Marcy shares her path into counseling as well as how her role helps support Latinx students on campus. By Jessica Rivera
QP Jessica: Can you tell me a little about yourself and harder to connect with family. Another concern is feeling
disconnected from their cultures, since celebrating Hispanic/Latinx holidays happened naturally back Marcy: I am a first-generation Mexican home. Now students have to intentionally seek out other American born and raised in California. Latinx students to celebrate those special moments, I come from a big traditional Mexican something that is not always possible. family that is connected to our roots and culture. I had fun growing up with QP Jessica: Prior to the pandemic, what were some five siblings, and always knew they would of the issues Latinx students at OSU were navigating? be my friends for the rest of my life. However, some of Marcy: Some of the concerns that are present now my peers didn’t share my same experience. They didn’t hold true before the pandemic. Navigating college or have someone who listened and gave them advice as graduate school is challenging enough when you are they struggled through tough moments. When deciding a first-generation student or are far from home. One on a career, I picked something that would help out my of the main concerns that students navigate is feeling community. In my role I provide Latinx students with alienated from peers who don’t look like them. The support to make their journey through higher education fear of reaching out and creating a new social support a little easier. group that might look different from the norm can be QP Jessica: How does your identity as a Latina shape scary. Also, the fear of letting the family down by not your role as a counselor? succeeding puts pressure on students. It’s also difficult to explain the demands and school stressors to families Marcy: My identity as a Latina shapes my role as a who don’t have higher education, further making them psychologist in different ways, primarily because it feel alone. allows me to bridge two cultures and languages near and dear to my heart. One way that my identity as a QP Jessica: Can you talk a little bit about how you Latina has shaped my work is on the importance I place have collaborated with the multicultural center as well on the use of language and dichos (sayings). I believe as the HEART group? that there is depth in treatment when one can freely speak their native language without fear of judgment Marcy: I collaborate with the multicultural center by or lack of understanding. There is beauty in expressing participating in La CASA (Latinx Community Advocacy in oneself with dichos passed on by generations that, Solidarity for Awareness) cohort meetings. The purpose when translated, lose their meaning but can also bring of La CASA is to create a community among multi-generations of Latinx students by offering a safe place for people together. them to express concerns about college, among other QP Jessica: What are some of the issues Latinx things. Attending the meetings allows me to connect to college students at OSU have been facing, given the the Latinx students on campus. This also helps bridge COVID-19 pandemic? mental health and the Latinx community to decrease the negative stereotypes that therapy has among our Marcy: Being from a collectivistic culture, family plays community. I also provide Latinx graduate students a a big part in Latinx students’ lives. Since the start of space to connect through group therapy and support COVID-19, the separation from home has increased one another to attain higher education. The group is anxiety about being far away from family if they get sick. done in both languages and is open to Latinx graduate Recently that anxiety has extended to stress related to students from multi-generations. The purpose of both groups family back home in their native country. Given that most is to create unity and make it feasible for others to seek first-generation Latinx students have family members help when needed. with limited knowledge of technology, it has become how you got into counseling?
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