Dublin Core
Title
Yajaira Hernandez Oral History Interview
Description
Yajaira Hernandez is a bilingual family intervention therapist in the city of Salem, Oregon, who works in mental health crisis intervention for Latinx families. Hernandez studied international relations at the University of San Diego, and earned her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University.
In her interview, Hernandez reflects on her experience of growing up in two cultures - her Mexican culture at home and her American culture in school and with her peers. She also considers the ways that gender inequities within Mexican culture affected her upbringing. Hernandez talks about how her parents strongly encouraged her to get an education, and how being a first-generation college student was something that allowed her to empower herself and also gave her the skills needed to empower others.
Next, she discusses her time working with a nonprofit in Oregon that focused on early childhood, and how she was struck by the lack of support and resources available to Latinx communities in rural Oregon. She then shares how these experiences led her to find her calling as a social worker. She also reflects on the relationship between social inequities and mental health, and on how being a bilingual therapist helps her better serve her Spanish-speaking clients.
In her interview, Hernandez reflects on her experience of growing up in two cultures - her Mexican culture at home and her American culture in school and with her peers. She also considers the ways that gender inequities within Mexican culture affected her upbringing. Hernandez talks about how her parents strongly encouraged her to get an education, and how being a first-generation college student was something that allowed her to empower herself and also gave her the skills needed to empower others.
Next, she discusses her time working with a nonprofit in Oregon that focused on early childhood, and how she was struck by the lack of support and resources available to Latinx communities in rural Oregon. She then shares how these experiences led her to find her calling as a social worker. She also reflects on the relationship between social inequities and mental health, and on how being a bilingual therapist helps her better serve her Spanish-speaking clients.
Creator
Yajaira Hernandez
Source
Latinos en Oregón Oral History Collection / Colección de Entrevistas Orales (OH 032)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
May 15, 2021
Contributor
Maria Hernandez
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh32-hernandez-yajaira-20210515
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Maria Hernandez
Interviewee
Yajaira Hernandez
Location
Interview conducted over Zoom
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
0:49:40
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video