Juliana A. Perez, LCSW, LCDC

I participated in the planning of the Hispanas Unidas Conference 40 years ago. It was an inspiring event and I learned so much from the women involved with the planning committee. I learned how other Hispanas had conquered challenges and had achieved a higher education which I never thought was possible for me. Because of their inspiration, I enrolled at San Antonio College with a plan to transfer to OLLU's social work program. I was married with four children and working full-time. With family support and little by little I accomplished my educational goals of earning bachelor's and master's degrees in social work. It took me 20 years, but I was the first in my family to earn college degrees. My social work career enabled me to work with incarcerated population with innovative parenting/visitation programs of MATCH/PATCH (Mothers And Their CHildren/Papas And Their CHildren). My education also helped me to work as a field interviewer for social science projects, therapist with detained immigrant mothers and their children in Dilley, TX, unaccompanied migrant youth in San Antonio, TX, social worker with Family Advocacy at Ft. Sam Houston, TX, as a therapist in an adult psychiatric unit of a hospital, program director in training and developing curricula for foster/adopt parents, conducting home studies for court custody cases and foster/adopt parents, a substance abuse program director for the Kickapoo Reservation and consultant to non-profit foster care agencies. My latest venture has been to co-author two children's books "Garrison's Visitation Day" and "Alex's Courage" to help families navigate their children's feelings when they experience a parent in jail or prison. I have been blessed along the way to have received Bexar County's Hidalgo Award, National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow, Windcall Residency Award for Community Activists, Tx Governor's Volunteer Leadership Award, OLLU Remarkable Woman and Community Service Award, KWEX-TV "Lo Mejor De Nuestro", and Class Act Teacher Award from HACU. As I mentioned I had family support, and my parents and siblings were recognized with the Community Family of the Year Award from Family Services Association. I hope now more than ever, we can inspire, motivate and mobilize the next generation of Latinas to lead our families, communities, and nation to restore unity, peace, and healing of divisions. Si se puede!"