Passionate, curious, and a dream catcher, meet College Counselor Mariela Regalado| Leading Latina 2018
Mariela Regalado is a Bilingual, first generation, Dominican immigrant, equipped with a relentless passion that is poured towards her students’ success. As a College Counselor, her goal is to help change the landscape for students of color attending institutions of higher learning.
As a student, Mariela experienced firsthand what it was like not being able to have the same access to opportunities as other students in her class. She was constantly asked the same question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. Although her parents encouraged the curiosity and imagination she possessed, no one was there to support her with the search for colleges and possible career paths. Despite the expectation of doing well without the guidance, she was in need of, Mariela persevered and found her passion for education through her experiences as an undergraduate student.
She started her career as an advisor through a program at Lehman College, where she assisted graduating high school students with choosing schools for their undergraduate careers. Soon after, she was able to become a full-time college counselor and now gives her students the opportunity to succeed. Mariela currently works for a nonprofit organization that serves over 3,000 college-bound students of color in NYC.
Mariela works hard towards empowering the youth by providing them with tools to achieve their post-secondary goals and career readiness. An avid reader and writer, she also recognizes the importance of giving students a safe space to create and find themselves through art. Mariela facilitates creative writing and poetry workshops for teens and is currently working on documenting her multidimensional experience through bilingual poetry and prose.
Through her position as a college counselor, Mariela is able to give students the advice and resources she once needed and wishes she had growing up. She believes college counseling is a social justice and intends to continue helping her students achieve the American Dream of furthering their education.
You can read more about Mariela Regalado on her official website
http://www.marielaregalado.com/ or @marielaregal
