Conversations with Dr. Lauren Guerra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Lauren Guerra

Dr. Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I love the culture and diversity of LA! I grew up in Koreatown and I am Latina…Guatemalan Ecuadorian to be specific. My life journey has a lot of ups and downs to be sure. I know that each of these challenges have strengthened me as a person. Here, I will focus on my career path. I earned my PhD back in 2016 from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. As a Latina and a first-generation professor, there were a million obstacles that I had to overcome to earn my PhD. Since graduating, I have applied to what feels like hundreds of teaching positions. What I have come to realize through all of this is that rejection is redirection. Rejection can be divine protection. I was never meant to fit in the typical professor box. In the last year, I have been exploring content creation and started a podcast called “Gold Hoops and God”. The podcast is geared towards Latina Millennials however it is a lot of fun and everyone can enjoy it. The third season of the podcast will be available on all streaming platforms and on Youtube starting January 15th. I hope folks will check it out.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges I faced most recently was in 2020. During the height of the pandemic, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As you can imagine, it caught me and my family by surprise because I really didn’t have any symptoms or signs leading up to that point. During summer of 2020, I was hospitalized twice, once here in LA and once in San Francisco. It wasn’t until my 2nd hospitalization at UCSF that I actually received my diagnosis. Since then, I have been very consistent with every form of self-care, including but not limited to weekly therapy and medication. Thankfully, I am doing really well. The biggest lesson that I learned through all of that is how much my family and close friends truly love me. It felt like my lowest point and to know that my loved ones were there for me during such a difficult time meant the world. I am grateful for them and I am so proud of myself for how far I have come.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
There are so many things that I love and that are important to me so I will try to summarize. I am the host and producer of the “Gold Hoops and God” podcast. The podcast began as a passion project. I know how complex Latina identity and faith are. I wanted to create a space where my guests and I could begin to unpack a variety of lived experiences. Many of us were raised Catholic but others were not. I am fascinated by lived religion and rituals so diving into that more deeply has been amazing. It is all about sharing our stories. We spend time on the podcast talking about some of the more difficult topics around race and ethnicity too. The podcast goes hand in hand with my academic work in Central American Studies and religion. I teach at UCLA in the Chicanx and Central American Studies Department. The students are brilliant and I enjoy working with them. They have often told me how much it means to have a Latina professor who understands them. Representation really matters. I am also working on my first book which will weave together popular religion and Central American Studies. I am proud of the journey for sure and I am excited to see what is next.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Education and faith have been so central to my life. I couldn’t have made it this far without great teachers and mentors. I am grateful to have had fantastic teachers who always encouraged me to ask difficult questions, to speak up, and to be myself. I attended Immaculate Heart High School here in Los Angeles and went to Loyola Marymount University for my undergraduate degree. Both were wonderful educational experiences. Most importantly, I attribute my success to my deep sense of faith. Immaculate Heart was founded by the Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary and LMU is a Jesuit university. It has been my faith in God that has gotten me through some extremely difficult situations, and I know for certain that God has worked miracles through other people too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drlaurenguerra.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldhoops_god/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567160240421&comment_id=Y29tbWVudDoxMDEwMzA0MTU0OTkzMTQ1OV8xMDkxOTIwMjkyNjc2Mjgx
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldHoops_God?sub_confirmation=1