Career knowledge empowers family to actively engage and support LEAF Scholar to add a college minor

Teresa Vazquez was born in Oaxaca. She lives with her husband Sosimo, her 19-year-old daughter Jacqueline who is a sophomore at San José State University and Alexander who is a 14-year-old first-year student at Cristo Rey High School. Teresa has worked cleaning offices for 22 years and is an active participant in our LEAF Family community.

Our last LEAF Family Workshop discussed various career tracks and the opportunities available to college students.  After the workshop, Teresa continued the conversation with Jackie Ramirez, our Career Exploration & Discovery Program Associate, to learn more about minors, additional courses, and certifications that can help her daughter Jacqueline become career ready.  

Teresa’s recently acquired career exploration knowledge empowered her to connect directly with her daughter, Jaqueline, to discuss and think through the possibility of adding a minor that aligns with her specific interests and career aspirations.  Teresa shared that she and her daughter considered the possibility of adding a minor to Jacqueline’s studies that aligns with her specific interests and career aspirations, recreational therapy with a specific concentration working with adolescents and adults.

These interactions between parents and students are very powerful as they form a sense of partnership and support as our LEAF Scholars navigate their college journeys.  

“As a parent, it can be difficult to understand how careers and the education system work in this country. The biggest support has been gaining knowledge about these systems through the intentional explanations in the workshops that help one understand.”

Teresa shares that while her daughter Jacqueline is supported by her mentor, she feels a similar support relying on her shared experiences with other families in the LEAF Family Program. She also shared how much she feels supported by the other opportunities LEAF provides, such as the financial support. LEAF provides emergency funding grants and a scholar and family stipend designed to relieve financial burdens in our community. Teresa is grateful for the support LEAF has provided to her and her family.