Meet Latinitas El Paso’s Spring 2018 Program Leader, Jessica Garcia. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, she is currently a student at the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in social work and is expecting to graduate this May. She loves journaling, baking, and hopes to one day work with kids as a school counselor.
Why did you choose your major?
I chose social work because I believe it is important to help people in other areas of their lives other than a healthcare setting. I would love to work in a clinical setting and with nonprofits as well.
What made you want to join Latinitas?
At first I was drawn to the Latinitas table by the bright purple and butterflies, but I chose to do my field experience with Latinitas after I heard the mission statement. I believe it is so important to nurture the curiosity and passions of young girls so that they can be confident in their future as they grow older. I joined Latinitas because it is an inspiring organization that I wish I could’ve been a part of as a young girl.
What extracurricular activities do you participate in?
I enjoy singing, baking, journaling, and teaching my dog new tricks!
Who is one of your role models and why?
One person who constantly inspires me is Gina Rodriguez. I am inspired by her work on Jane The Virgin, a show that is inclusive of Latinxs in a fun, exciting way. I felt I could relate to Gina’s character and her family, minus the very dramatic storylines! I am also inspired by Gina because of her work in creating a conversation in the media realm surrounding support for Latinx made media and being as supportive as possible of her fellow Latinx actors and actresses.
What is your idea of a dream job and how will your involvement with Latinitas get you there?
My idea of a dream job is working in schools with children in a counseling setting. I believe my involvement in Latinitas will help me get there by giving me experience in working with youth as well as learning how to connect with communities using media, technology, and culture.
What is one of your favorite hobbies and how’d you get started with it?One of my favorite hobbies is journaling. I learned to journal the way I do through Colleen Ballinger, a social media influencer that I admire. I carry around a journal that I love and when I am having a good day, bad day, or if I have mementos I would love to keep, I write those feelings down or I tape the memento into the journal. I put in polaroids, movie tickets, pamphlets, stickers, anything that I can use to memorialize the day I had. I think it’s a fun way to keep memories and stay interested in writing in a journal often!
What is one of your guilty pleasures?
My guiltiest pleasure is slime and kinetic sand videos! As weird as it sounds, I absolutely love watching videos on Instagram of people poking and kneading slime or cutting kinetic sand with a knife. I find those videos so satisfying and I can watch them for hours. I am currently contemplating buying kinetic slime on Etsy.
What are the best and worst uses of the internet?
I think some of the best uses of the internet are that you can find things you like and there is always a community for it. Take YouTube for example–there’s a community for everything including video blogs, lifestyle, makeup, motivation, fitness, etc. So I think, especially for young people, the internet is awesome for finding a community of people who like the same things you do. Some of the worst uses of the internet are witch hunts. Having been part of the Twitter community for quite some time, I’ve seen my fair share of witch hunts on people that go far beyond what anyone could imagine. I think the ‘viral’ nature of the internet allows for people to bully others more easily and in higher numbers, which is horrifying.
Follow Jessica on Instagram.
