August 25, 2020

Priscilla Molina- Daughter of Guatemalan Immigrants is Inspired to Become a Psychiatrist so Underserved Communities Receive Culturally Sensitive Care

47 minutes

Priscilla Molina is the voice of a new and diverse generation, someone we all need to pay attention to. Growing up, she frequently went to work with her parents who immigrated from Guatemala, doing homework while her mom cleaned houses or her father fixed someone's leaky pipes. While some may have seen her parents as laborers, she saw leaders, inspiring her to lead her community and help those in need.

When Priscilla was in middle school, she became very interested in why her brother became homeless, was thinking about conspiracy theories, was very paranoid, and became violent towards himself after learning he was schizophrenic, a term her family had never heard of. It became her responsibility at a young age to accompany her parents to the psychiatrist to translate the English for them, pushing Priscilla to mature early on and to become interested in the mental health field.

Priscilla is the first generation in her family to go to college and she's just graduated from UCLA this summer with a Bachelor in Science in Psychobiology and a Minors in Latin American Studies and Public Health. She is passionate about bridging the gaps between underserved communities and mental health resources. She's worked as a research assistant in the Culture and Anxiety Lab for Mental Health Advances looking at the relationship between barriers to mental health care and intent to seek services. She's interested in health literacy tools to engage depressed LatinX adults. She's worked with first-generation college students leading large scale programming and academic and emotional counseling for the ChicanX/LatinX communities.

Priscilla is a student leader within Global Medical Missions Alliance where she's developed culturally sensitive training and has served as a translator for the medical teams who provided aid abroad to Mexico, Cambodia, and other underserved countries in regard to health care. In her free time, Priscilla enjoys playing the piano at her church, shooting hoops with friends, and adventuring to new places with loved ones. Her desire to help others is infectious and there is no doubt her leadership skills will continue to make her community stronger and better.

SHOW NOTE LINKS:

UCLA Newsroom- Thanks to Family, Graduating Senior is Driven to Bridge Cultural Gaps

Priscilla's Podcast- Covid19 and Suicidality

Priscialla Molina on Instagram

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