On this episode of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina delves into the inspiring journey of Laura Walker, M.Ed., a resilient Mexicana born in Mexico and raised in the U.S. from the tender age of 2. Laura's committment to education, instilled by her mother, drove her to promise her mother that she would graduate high school- a promise she steadfastly kept, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA. Married to her best friend, a dedicated United States Marine, Laura is not only a loving mother of two but also a dedicated scholar. Amidst the challenges of military life, Laura pursued her academic ambitio ..read more

On this episode of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews a straight up Chingona, Maria Linares, MPA who is an Emerita Trustee of the California State University, Board of Trustees which was a position appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. She is a proud Latina first generation college graduate raised in an immigrant working class neighborhood in the city of Santa Ana, CA. Her work throughout the years has focused on serving the most underserved and historically marginalized populations including first gen students, transfer students, students with disabilities, undocumented stud ..read more

On this episode of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews Sandy Correa, MS, a native East Los Angeles and first gen Salvadorian and Puerto Rican Latina who recieved her Bachelor's in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master's in Health Care Management from Cal State Los Angeles. Ana María Gaona, MPA , is a first gen bilingual Latina and the eldest daughter of immigrant parents from Oaxaca, Mexico and Cordoba Spain and is a MPA, Cal State-Northridge graduate who received the Dr. Davidds' Leadership Institute Resilient Leadership Negotiation Certificate and is an honors recipien ..read more

On this season 3 opener of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez, Nicaraguan author of, "For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts." What we love about Prisca is that she is unapologetic and uncompromising about protecting and upholding the stories of Latinx communities and we are very fortunate to have her as the first guest of Season 3 on the show.  A chingona feminist, theologian, storyteller, and advocate in her own right, she is also a fellow Latina with a Master's degree who earned her Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt Unive ..read more

On this episode of Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews Christopher Luis Partida, a graduate Assistant Coach for the Men's basketball team at the University of St. Katherine AND a future #FirstGen Mexicano pursing a Master's degree in Kienisiology at the University of St. Katherine. He's a proud first gen Mexicano from Torrence, CA, raised by Mexican parents who received inspiration from his sisters who both hold PhD's in their respective fields. The lack of sense of belonging at a local community college made him feel college life was not for him. At the age of 26, he discovered ..read more

On this episode of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina speaks with Joseph Valadez (him/his) who shares his childhood upbringing as a Chicano in Southern California, serving in the military, celebrating his sobriety and despite all of the systemic barriers he experienced, he always knew that he belonged on a college campus! Joseph has an A.A. in Sociology and A.A. in History, being a transfer student from Orange Coast College to Cuesta Mesa College. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from CSU Long Beach and is a current graduate student in the MSW program at CSU Long Beach.  ..read more

On this episode of the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina welcomes Chris Norman (they/them), a queer, Blaxican housing policy & racial justice professional from the San Francisco Bay Area! They are a first-generation college and master's graduate who works to ensure folks from their communities are able to thrive and experience all the joy they can. Chris holds a Bachelor’s in Geography from Dartmouth College and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California. Check out this episode to learn more about Chris and the motivation behind their academic and profess ..read more

On this week’s episode on the Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews Fabio Peña, first-generation MBA graduate student born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. Fabio walks us through his personal journey from working in the agriculture fields to pursuing his dream of becoming a college graduate! He earned his Bachelors Degree in Social and Cultural Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle and is currently pursuing his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Seattle University. He is the Co-Founder of Pena and Co. Consulting, a first-generation consulting f ..read more

The final episode for Season 1 is here and what an adventurous year it has been. Join me as we take a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the episodes and podcast guests who inspired, empowered and educated us on how to navigate the hard knocks of higher education as a first generation college student. I also share my personal reflections on my key takeaways since creating Latinas with Masters, the podcast and a sneak peak on what's to come for Season 2.  Like and subscribe to the Latinas with Masters Podcast and I will catch up with you all very soon on Season 2! Thank you all for the l ..read more

On this week's episode of Latinas with Masters Podcast, Christina interviews Cristal Flores, a Oaxaqueña and a Latina with Masters Sociology major from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Cristal shares her personal and academic experiences as a first gen Latina navigating spaces where she felt like she didn't belong in and keeps is 100% real through the eyes of a true Sociologist. Cristal is on the pursuit of always becoming...becoming the educator in her community by making higher education material accessible to the everyday person who may not have access to a higher education. Th ..read more