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THE PESA POST
The latest news, views and announcements from
Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

June 9, 2022
SHE CAN RELATE

A social work intern finds a personal connection with the very students she serves
As a PESA social work intern, Maria Garcia could relate to the kids she worked with because she knows what difficult times and challenges look like. That’s called empathy— the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person—and it has served her well. After all, it’s what brought Garcia to social work in the first place.

“My brothers were addicts, and they were in and out of jaiI,” she says. “I didn’t want that lifestyle for myself.” Seeing what those closest to her went through and how it affected their lives, she used that to fuel her determination for a better future for herself. 

It only took one random course at Long Beach City College for Garcia to discover that social work was the path she wanted to take. “I want to advocate for people who can’t advocate for themselves…I fell in love with being able to help others and assist others because I was so familiar with the system.”

While interning with PESA, Garcia discovered her passion for working with juveniles, which she did at Teach Middle School. She did one-on-one counseling with students and ran restorative justice circles with discussions about bullying, language and mindfulness. “The students really enjoyed it,” says Garcia, “because they were able to talk about things that they weren’t able to talk about with [others].” She pointed out that this forum allowed students to discuss changes they wanted to see in their school and their community and to learn to advocate for themselves.

Garcia’s life experiences have informed her ability to work with and understand the youth she encountered while interning with PESA. “I’ve been in abusive relationships my whole life. When I was in my last two years of college, I was homeless with my daughter. I was supposed to be a statistic, but I was lucky enough to have the perspective that when things got hard, I was going to push harder. 

“Persistence is the beauty that my life has given me, because if it wasn’t for my persistence to want a better life, to want to be in a better position, to want to get my family out of the struggles that we’ve been in … if it wasn’t for that persistence, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. That's the connection I see with these kids and their families. A lot of them have that persistence, but they [just need] the help.”

Which, of course, is what PESA—and its interns like Garcia—do best. “PESA offers a lot of resources for students who need it,” she says. “They have a big vision.”

And so does Garcia, who recently graduated with a bachelor of social work degree from California State University Long Beach, fulfilling the promise she made to her immigrant father. “I know he would be so proud,” says Garcia. “And I’m proud of myself.” ■

If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.