Today we’d like to introduce you to Joelisse Galarza.
Joelisse, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey begins in December of 2015, I lost one of my best friends to suicide. At that point in my life, I was 20 years old, questioning what I could have done to stop her, to be there for her even more or why I did not know. I began to think a lot about mental health and how difficult it is to access services in communities of color. Fast forward to 2017, I was student teaching on the northeast side of San Antonio, a predominantly black and brown community. So many of my students at that time were going through or had gone through so many different journeys: abuse, an incarcerated parent, custody battles, death of parents as well as siblings and the list goes on. My students at this time wanted to speak to the counselor and asked on numerous occasions but at no fault of her own, she was shared between two campuses and was in charge of testing. There was no time to speak to 30 children about the things that were affecting their daily lives. I began to ask myself, how does one’s traumatic experiences impact their academic performance? In Texas, we expect students to pass the STAAR, no matter what zip code they are from. At this point, I knew in my heart, my students deserved better. I knew, if their mental health was not okay, they could not perform to the best of their capabilities in the classroom.
I decided then to move to New York City to attend Columba University to attain my Master’s in Social Work. My goal was to acquire all the information I could to bring back to Texas. I was determined to bring Mental Health Services into the school setting. In 2019, I accomplished this goal. I was hired in July of 2019 for IDEA Public Schools as the first Social Worker in my school. While it has been challenging, I have continued to implement my vision into the school. While I do not yet have a business, my passion continues to be to speak on Mental Health in schools for underprivileged communities. This year, I spoke at two conferences on empowering young women of color and in mental health in kinder-12 schools.
Currently, I am in the process of organizing a community outreach event in making hygiene kits for the homeless.
Social work is challenging, many people associate it with solely CPS or taking children away. I am here to exhibit a different lens of this work. So many of my students have had so many wins, I have seen the true change in them and what It means to have someone to help you connect the pieces of your life together. Im continuing to fight for mental health in schools because my students along with many others, deserve that and so much more.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been smooth. Building a program from the ground up at only 24 years old has been challenging. There are days where I feel emotionally drained from my work but I know my students deserve these services, especially when there is continued racial injustice, police brutality and the list goes on. My work being in predominantly black and brown communities, there is so much going on in the world and so much internalization of emotions that my students and their families face. Society continues to fail these communities when they continue to lack the equity to provide resources, while my job can be challenging and there are obstacles, ill never stop fighting.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My company is my profession. So many people live life hating their job, while I am in a job that has high turnover and burnout, I am so passionate about Social Work, specifically School Social Work. I am most proud of my courage, the ability to take on daily challenges and look for the best solutions. I am proud of my ability to advocate for my students and ensure they have the services they need to be successful in school and beyond. What sets me apart from others is I don’t quit when it gets tough, I brush it off and keep going. I know for the sake of my students and families, I have to because if not me, then who?
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mentors, supporters and teammates deserve so much credit. My mentor Mrs. Brandi Coleman has been my rock. She started off as my professor in my undergraduate degree and continued to push me all the way through graduate school. She is the definition of what it means to be a successful black woman in America, she just started her own non-profit called, “The Lemonade Circle.” She continues to inspire me everyday.
My mother and my family, they pushed me to continue on to graduate school to pursue my dreams and when I thought I did not belong at Columbia, a predominantly White institution, my mother and my family ensured that I as a Latina woman, stood my ground and exemplified why I had every right to an Ivy League education.
My teammates within my school system, Karla, Sara, Amanda and my co-workers, they continue to build the program with me and support what it means to provide mental health services in schools.
Lastly, my students. Their strength inspires me every day, all the time. Their continuous fight in all the obstacles they face gives me the power to continue to advocate for them.
Contact Info:
- Email: joelisse.galarza94@gmail.com
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