Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Leon Salinas.
Jennifer Leon Salinas was born in Michoacan, Mexico where she later migrated to the United States with her parents and settled in Northern California. After graduating high school, she went on to pursue an Associate’s degree in Psychology at her nearby community college, Diablo Valley College. Knowing that the political climate has always been against her odds because of her immigration status, she continued to pursue higher education upon graduating community college and attended San Francisco State University to obtain her Bachelor’s in Psychology. She graduated a semester early and was on the Dean’s honor list throughout her time at State despite working full-time. During her last semester, she interned at their Dream Resource Center where she was able to help other undocumented/AB 540 students through the process of applying and navigating higher education. Upon waiting to walk for graduation, she noticed a gap in networking between those who are graduating/recent graduates and those who are already out in the professional field and decided to make a platform for women of color in psychology where they can provide guidance, network, share insights and advise one another.
This platform has grown to be known as MujeresxPsych on Instagram and it is a growing community that most importantly highlights stories of women of color both students and professionals in the field of Psychology that are working to dismantle the stigma in our culture and largely to show representation in a white-dominated career field. MujeresxPsych also provides information for students like GRE courses/prep classes, university program options, financial aid, scholarships, career and internship opportunities. Jennifer continues to help students navigate through higher education with the platform she created while also continuing to strive for her own higher education. She is currently attending Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles where is pursuing her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and is also interning for LatinxTherapy. She is currently in her last year and is starting her practicum this Fall. She would be working primarily with children and families. Ultimately, her goal is to continue helping undocumented/first-generation students navigate higher education and to continue dismantling mental health stigmas in the Latinx community by one day opening her own private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not been as smooth or clear as I’d like it to have been. Immigrating to the United States at a very young age posed several challenges. For one, learning a new language made learning in school and making friends very difficult. At times, I felt very isolated which took me many years to finally shake off. In addition to always having to worry about possible deportation, I also had to worry about the lack of resources my family and I had. My parents who are in the working class could not afford to help me very much with finances. I had to worry about paying my way through college since undocumented individuals can not apply for financial aid. This meant that I had to work three jobs and go to school full-time which was extremely exhausting. Because I spent so much time working and being off-campus, I had little to no opportunities to network with my professors or other students in the field. This led to me creating MujeresxPsych so that other individuals liked me could have these connections in a much more accessible manner.
Please tell us about MujeresxPsych.
MujeresxPsych was founded in 2019 that has grown into a nationwide community that unities women of color who are studying or are in the psychology field to share their advice, insight, guidance and to network amongst themselves. As the founder of this platform, my job has been to create/edit content that will be posted on the Instagram page. The various content provides information on bilingual master programs in psychology, tips for self-care, information on mental health, and other psychology relation information. This platform also specializes on giving women of color in the psychology field a place to discuss their journey in the mental health field. The page features WOC every week on Instagram live — a podcast like interview between myself and students and professionals who wish to share their stories and success. What I am most proud of is how warm, welcoming, and helpful every follower is to one another on the page. Even though most of us have never met each other in person, there is a real sense of community going on here. I have helped connect people to find new mentors and even jobs all thanks to the wonderful people on this page. What makes MujeresxPsych special is that the community is just as in charge of what goes on in this page as I am. I always look forward to the community’s feedback and I try my best to implement that in any way I can.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe that my good luck as always been the unconditional support from friends, family, and my femtors. They are always there to help me when I feel like I can’t go any further. They encourage me to go past my comfort zones and challenge myself to new opportunities. On top of that, they are my biggest fans and blessing all around. Without their unconditional love and support, I would not be anywhere I am today and for that, I am very lucky and blessed.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mujeresxpsych/
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