2022 Lucero Scholar: Gabriela Maldonado

Being a Lucero scholar is more than just a financial benefit. I see it as a gateway to finally help the people I am passionate about helping. It means having a platform to serve the Latinx community and educate them about why mental health is not taboo. I want to help the Latinx community, especially women, learn the importance of their individual health and why they matter.

As a Clinical Psy D student, I am honored to be part of this initiative to bring social justice and mental health awareness to a community that historically, did not believe in this. This is an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Latinx community and its people who need health education.

My field placement is Northeast Elementary School in Waltham. A traditionally white neighborhood, this school’s student population are children from low SES and immigrant parents. There are children who struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, and abuse. They want to speak to someone but most of the faculty are white women who do not speak Spanish. I have made a difference in this community, to listen to children who want to tell their story but never had to the chance to. I am proud to say I’ve also helped translate for single parents/caregivers and explain their financial struggles to faculty.  My training in the LMHP has enabled me to be the difference between a Hispanic child suffering with their story, and the beginning of trauma treatment.

The system is always changing because the world is constantly changing. I love that the LMHP recognizes global events that make us more aware of ways we need to better ourselves as clinicians in training. I love that we are constantly revising and improving terminology and techniques that better serve the Latinx populations. I am proud to be part of a program that is not stagnant, but dynamic.

My parents are immigrants from El Salvador and met in Boston. They moved to East Boston in the 90s when it was primarily white-Italians that resided there. It was difficult to find people who spoke Spanish, but my father learned English at community college and even after they divorced, they always emphasized my education. They made me believe that despite my being a Hispanic woman, I could break tradition and be academically successful to create any life I want. This is how I wish to inspire other Latina women like me.

Entering Class of 2022