Her Story
About Happy
I'm currently a junior psychology student at CUNY Hunter College, and I've been working in the mental health field for about 2 years through various internships. As a child behavior technician, I work with children who have autism, teaching them regular skills and how to live day-to-day life. We use positive reinforcement and data collection to track how the children are doing and what we should be adding or removing for teaching them. I also work as a communication and social media intern at my college Ingrid Success Center for 6 to 10 hours each week. I serve as a Senior Bridge Coach with College and Career Bridge for All, a role I earned after working one year as a bridge coach because they were impressed through my work. This has been pretty inspirational to me and makes me feel like I can move forward in my career, as they tell me there are a lot of other opportunities to grow. Additionally, I serve as a crisis counselor on a text line where people who are in crisis reach out, and I talk to them and try to de-escalate the situation, calm them down, and connect them to resources if there is a need. Something that really pushed me toward mental health was COVID-19, seeing how everyone's mental health went down and people started being in touch with their mental health. It made me realize that mental health should be made important alongside physical health. I plan on going to social work for my master's and want to be a clinical licensed social worker where I can provide therapy. I plan on working with youth because I feel like I have the most experience and being able to relate is a big thing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Happy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I feel like my family overall has been the biggest factor in my success, because we are an immigrant family. Being an immigrant in the United States, my family supported me through this journey. Their hard work is mirroring mine, and that connection has really driven me forward. Coming here and being accepted into this new world was pretty challenging at first, but as I learned and got familiar with people, I became more accepted. I had to learn a new language, learn how to speak and write that language, and constantly translate for my parents once I knew it. I'm constantly around them whenever they go out of their comfort zone because they are not sure what to speak. Despite all these challenges, my family's support and their example of hard work has been what keeps me moving forward.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Something that I heard from my professor has to be doing whatever you love, so you don't feel like you've been working a day in your life. That advice really put a smile on my face and has stuck with me as I think about my career path.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I feel like social work is heavily built toward women, so there's not really any stigma around it being a man-dominated field. But something that I would give advice on is that there are a lot of different things that you can be doing in the field, so choose the one that is the best path for you and work toward making it better. The field offers so many opportunities, so find what resonates with you personally and pursue that direction.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I feel like once you become a social worker, something that you possibly need to do is continue to educate yourself on different cultures and different areas. You have to be really aware of what is happening in current life and new disorders that have been publicly made, and you need to follow them. You're always supposed to be open to learn and be able to accept people around you. Growth is a big part of my career, and staying current with the field is essential. One of the biggest challenges I've faced is that people don't connect to people who are different than them, and that has been one of the biggest issues that I see a lot more in the field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I take ethics seriously regarding my work. Connections are really important to me - I tend to be really looking forward for a connection in both my personal and professional life, and I feel like that keeps me moving. Being understanding and empathetic toward both sides plays a big role in how I approach everything. And I would say leadership is also a core value that guides me.
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