Her Story
About Senovia
I've been a bilingual counselor in the DC public school system for 27 years, and my journey into education wasn't what I originally planned. I was actually going to school to be a social worker to service adults, but life happened when I became pregnant in 1998-99. I had to switch paths so I could finish my master's program within the time I wanted, and that's when education found me. For the past 5 years, I've been serving as an itinerant bilingual counselor, traveling two to three schools a day throughout the district to provide mental health services to multilingual learners who don't have bilingual access to support. My days can be intense, but it's all worthwhile because kids are resilient yet carry a lot of trauma, and I get to be that person who sees them weekly and helps them talk about how they're feeling. My responsibilities include providing social-emotional counseling to students, supporting families in crisis by connecting them with community resources, and building relationships between schools and families. I don't call language differences a barrier, I call it a get-to-know experience, because I think certain schools just need support in understanding cultural diversity when they see a rise of multilingual learners. One of my proudest moments was on May 16th when a student I'd supported since she arrived in middle school 12 years ago, knowing no English, graduated with a BA in nursing. I've been with her through middle school, high school, and her college career, and we both cried at her graduation. I've seen my students grow to become adults, moms, educators, real estate agents, and entrepreneurs, and it makes me feel proud of the work I'm doing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Senovia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would definitely say my mom, and also during my graduate program, I had some really great professors who supported me. I also had a colleague who was very supportive of me during this path of being a mom with two girls and grad school. I would say they've been my triangle of support that allowed me to believe in myself during the toughest moments. I attribute my success to them - my mom, my colleague, and my professors - because they were there for me when I needed it most, helping me navigate being a mother while pursuing my education and career.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely say that they are in the right path. They are resilient, they're strong, they're valuable to this profession. And I would say definitely never doubt yourself, your skills, or let anyone tell you that you're wrong. You have to always believe in yourself and say, I can, and I will. Don't settle for what society or your families tell you to do - dream out of the box and believe in yourself to be successful.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the challenges is that when I talk to some kids who are in college or even in high school, they just don't see the worth in pursuing this career. They don't see the money, they don't see the benefits, and it's a shame. I just feel that society doesn't put enough emphasis on why it's important for mental health support. Society will always put emphasis on being a model, or being a singer, a rapper, but they don't put emphasis on being an educator. I just feel like the views are very odd and different, where there just has to be a push for more funding and supporting these young kids and promoting careers in mental health, instead of just nursing, doctors, or other things. My professional goal is advocating for that money and funding for mental health support, because right now there's just not enough providers. Instead of just curriculum instruction, it has to be for mental health support.
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