As a graduate student at San Diego State University,
Michelle Cadena (’11) immersed herself in multicultural community counseling and social justice education through COE’s
Community-Based Block program (CBB). Today, she’s still at SDSU — and still committed to making a positive difference.
Since 2017, Michelle has been a counselor in
Educational Opportunity Program and Ethnic Affairs (EOP), providing academic, career and personal counseling to SDSU students from low income backgrounds and historically underserved communities. She’s part of a team that recently
won a Presidential Staff Excellence Award for their work to support students in the Guardian Scholars Program, which serves current or former foster youth, wards of the court, individuals under legal guardianship or unaccompanied homeless youth. We chatted with Michelle about what motivates her work and how her COE experience shaped her.
CBB helped nourish a seed of advocacy that had been planted in many ways since I was growing up in Mexico. It helped me find my voice and challenge me to really find myself in order to support my students in this process while navigating education. — Michelle Cadena (’11)
Can you tell us a little bit about your role as a counselor in EOP?
“As a Counselor in the EOP program I see myself as an advocate and supporter of the students I work with. I support my students in all different parts of their educational journey, which many times involves their experiences outside of the university. In the end I hope that through our work and relationship my students leave feeling seen, validated, supported and also knowing how to advocate for themselves.”
What does a typical day look like for you?
“I wear many hats in EOP. I am one of the counselors working with the Guardian Scholars Program and one of the co-coordinators for the SOAR Mentor Program. My days look different throughout the week. On a busy day of counseling, I will meet with 7-10 students. I also have weekly mentor meetings and participate in different events for Guardian Scholars. I teach in SOAR Meetings and I also mentor several mentors through monthly meetings. I love what I do because of the creativity and learning I engage in every day. My students remind me that this work is important.”
What aspect of your work brings you the most satisfaction?
“I feel the conversations with my students are the moments I most appreciate about my day. I get to witness their life stories and experiences, which I also learn a lot from. I see their passion and resiliency and also their strength, experience and skills they bring with them every day to SDSU. SOAR is also a part of my day which I enjoy very much. I get to see EOP students become leaders and mentors to other EOP students. I get to work with them in a different capacity as a supervisor and mentor.”
What inspired you to want to pursue a career in this field?
“My experiences navigating the education system — helping my sisters navigate education as well as my parents’ experience as educators in Mexico. I feel these influenced a lot of the conversations we had at home and aided me in making a decision to support even more students in this process, since it can be both complex and overwhelming. Also, having mentors guide me — believing in me and what I could accomplish — had a profound impact in the decisions I have made in my career. I am passionate about this work and I also get to work with others who share this passion and commitment.”
How did your experience in the Community-Based Block (CBB) program shape the professional you are today?
“CBB changed my life. I didn’t feel the full impact of how CBB had made a difference in my life until after I graduated. It took me several years to process and look back on how I had grown and how the program has helped me become a more aware counselor. Also, CBB helped nourish a seed of advocacy that had been planted in many ways since I was growing up in Mexico. It helped me find my voice and challenge me to really find myself in order to support my students in this process while navigating education.”
Did you have any mentors in your program here who impacted you?
“I am very fortunate to have had
Dr. Nola Butler-Byrd as a mentor since I was a student in CBB. She has supported and provided a space for me to feel seen and validated. I have appreciated from her mentorship how much she believes in me and how she helps me navigate the complexities that come with this work. Due to her support I had the opportunity to teach practicum in CBB with her and
Jermaine Simpson, which has been one of the highlights of my career and a time where I grew a lot as a counselor.”
Do you have any advice for aspiring counselors currently in COE programs?
“Take care of yourselves! I feel that as counselors in many different roles we tend to give and we are not taught very well how to conserve our energy, take time to process a tough session or just cope with work-life balance. I have learned throughout my career that I need time to decompress, process and breathe. We tend to be on the go all the time and many times that leads to burnout, not being present and losing your purpose. Finding what uplifts you — what reminds you of your purpose — is important.”
