Counselor / Co-Coordinator
My parents were born and raised in Chavinda, Michoacán, and immigrated to Napa, California for better opportunities. I earned an A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Napa Valley College, a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Chicana/o Studies at San Diego State University, and an M.A. in Counseling with a focus on multicultural counseling at Washington State University. I have been the Puente Counselor and Co-Coordinator at Merritt College since 2015. I have implemented strategies to retain, graduate, and transfer community college students. In particular, I have provided holistic counseling to students, including academic counseling, career guidance, graduate school counseling, personal support, and financial literacy counseling. With my background in counseling, I have been fortunate to have worked directly as a counselor with many students from diverse ethnic/racial, and cultural backgrounds. I have worked with first-generation, low-income, and college students with disabilities. Having been a first-generation and low-income student, I can readily identify with students that share similar backgrounds and I feel confident that I can guide them along their educational journey. I am passionate about my work, and I look forward to continuing to guide and support future Puente students.