In this week’s Peaks and Valleys, we interview Brianda De Leon, one of our Graduate Career Coaches. Brianda is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, with a concentration in higher education. In this interview, she shares her perspectives on education, work, and life.
Peaks and Valleys:
Tell me about your career and how you built it.
Brianda De Leon:
I’m still figuring out where my career is going. When I started college at the U in 2012, I thought I might become a mechanical engineer, but the constant test-taking and taking lots of math courses did not sound fun to me, so I switched my major. In the spring of 2013, a person in the Center for Equity & Student Belonging suggested I try Introduction to Sociology with Dr. Teresa Martinez. I fell in love with learning about society and culture, and of course that led to learning more about myself. That class taught me where I stood in my values and introduced me to various perspectives and ideologies. I learned to really care about education, about inequities, about the things I missed out in learning when I was growing up. As I navigated courses and also had to declare a major, I learned that there were no Latina advisors on campus. Or at least I had not met anyone yet. Just knowing that were hardly any Latine/x/os/s people on campus and in higher ed in general.
When I joined the M.Ed program in Student Affairs in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the U, I got to be a graduate assistant at the Career & Professional Development Center and the Dream Center, and interned at the Graduate School Diversity Office. Even though I had some professional experiences, I still didn’t know what I wanted my career to be. So I merged my personal and professional background and decided to study the ins and out of the field of education. As a result of my lived experiences with education and my family being undocumented, I decided to study how undocumented student resources become institutionalized in higher education. I wanted to know the process of development and understand how undocumented centers function within the institution because these centers are a new phenomenon.
My time as a graduate assistant at the Dream Center taught me that it was possible to merge all my interests together. I learned that I loved working at the intersection of immigration, education, and college access, and seeing first-hand how my knowledge of education and immigration policy helped students, university administrators, and other professionals. It made me feel that I could influence policy at the state, local and federal level. Then, while planning an event for the Dream Center, I got to work with immigration attorneys and the Consulate of Mexico, and it affirmed even more my decision to pursue a PhD program.
After graduating with my masters in 2018, I moved to San Antonio, Texas to begin my PhD that fall, and my life literally changed forever!! Fast forward to the Fall of 2022, I am now a Graduate Career Coach helping other grads navigate their career and academic journey. It is the most surreal feeling ever. I am so grateful to be here. My next career goal after this PhD is to either be a professor, run for office, or work at a political organization. I’m not sure yet, and I am ok with not knowing.
Peaks and Valleys:
What’s it like completing a PhD while working full time?
Brianda De Leon:
It’s not easy, but it is doable! I began working full-time after becoming a PhD Candidate, so if you’re a grad student and you’re in the finishing stages, we have this thing that we call tunnel vision. It was super hard to transition at the beginning. I’d been out of the higher ed game for about four years, and I wasn’t used to meetings every day and showing up at an office because my work would take place in the community. Then, my 3rd year of the doctoral program, the pandemic began, so a lot of things shifted. As a doctoral fellow, I had the flexibility of working on projects during the day and would also focus on my writing. Now that I work in a different capacity, I have to do a lot of my research either early in the morning or late at night. On the other hand, working has made it a bit easier to switch between professional and doctoral student mode. It depends where you are at in your academic and career journey, and with your finances.
If you’re going into a grad program and have the option to be a graduate assistant, my advice is to wait until your last year to start working full time, or at least until major milestones in your program are completed, so you stay motivated to finish. It will get hard some days to juggle it all. If you are considering getting a job during grad school, make sure that in whatever role you apply for, your supervisor knows and understands that it is your goal to graduate. Communicating and creating a support network in your professional environment and with loved ones will help out tremendously on those tough days.
Peaks and Valleys:
What do you do to take care of yourself?
Brianda De Leon:
This is a great question. Lately self-care is just surviving and sipping on a nice cafesito every morning. Taking care of myself continues to change, since I am finishing writing the last sections of my dissertation. However, I definitely lean on my support system and try to enjoy life. So far this semester I have jogged a ton, walked, gone to concerts, booked random flights and road-trips, hung out with family/friends/co-workers. At other times, I’ve literally done nothing and ignored my dissertation.
Peaks and Valleys:
What is your dissertation about?
Brianda De Leon:
It’s about the development of undocumented resource centers in the United States, particularly in Utah. I’m looking at how resources for undocumented students are developed on campuses. In essence, I am documenting the emergence of these centers in higher education and seeing how they become institutionalized at different kinds of colleges and universities. Who are the major players? Those are the sorts of questions I am asking in my dissertation.
Peaks and Valleys:
How does it influence your current work?
Brianda De Leon:
It lets me know where I need to do the work. It informs me that there’s a population not always getting the best services and treatment on campus. My research shapes the way I lead, my ethics, the kind of professional I am and want to be in higher ed, and the policies and practices I want to implement. It informs how I advise and advocate for students. Being a graduate career coach has allowed me to delve into many different areas of multiple professions. I have been able to use my knowledge of the field of education and industry to help students navigate the institution, while at the same time empowering students to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Both my career and education knowledge have allowed me to teach students how to be their best advocates and how to carve a space for themselves in environments / spaces not designed for them.
My background in education and immigration systems helps me work with recently arrived students, undocumented students, Dreamers, students with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and assist every kind of student, no matter their legal status. It helps me see that it is possible for institutions of higher education to create resources for undocumented and international students, and that with the stroke of a pen, so many things can change for so many students.
Peaks and Valleys:
What advice do you have for students?
Brianda De Leon:
Do not let anyone tell you that you are not meant for something. If someone tells you no, you go open that door of opportunity for yourself. Be determined. There’s always going to be a way to make your goal happen. If you don’t have US citizenship, turn to state & university policies to see what opportunities you might be eligible for. Also, check out this website, mydocumentedlife.org. It is updated consistently with tailored educational and professional opportunities, and it can also guide you on how to get started on your career and academic journey. Reach out to your professional network, reach out to your faculty, and the people that know you. Do not take no for an answer, and apply to the all opportunities that interest you and that you think will help you grow as a professional. Do things outside your comfort zone and be that door of opportunity for somebody else. Remember that you know more than you think. Do not sell yourself short on any job application!
Peaks and Valleys:
What advice do you wish you’d had early on?
Brianda De Leon:
Where do I start?! I wish people had told me that white supremacy is well and alive. That inequities did not stay in the early beginnings of this country. I was not ready to navigate the microaggressions that come with being a Mexican woman pursuing higher education, and with being a student affairs professional myself. No one told me that my reality as a woman of color would be to keep finding doors of opportunity for myself. I wish I knew more about professional development opportunities earlier in my journey, and how to get connected on campus, on platforms besides LinkedIn. I wish someone taught me how to email a professor! I also wish I would have invested more time exploring my interests when I was younger, when I was caught up in “I have to hurry up and graduate because my scholarship is ending soon.” I wish someone would have told me, hey, there are emergency funds, other kinds of loans, and scholarships available. I also wish somebody had told me that there would be moments when you’re absolutely going to hate it all, and that’s a normal feeling to have in this journey. So my advice is to savor your time as much as you can and make this journey as fun as you can, and experience moments that you will cherish. Always remember your why, and why you even began in the first place. If you are a first-generation college student entering any field, know that you deserve to be here, even though these spaces were not designed for us. The way you think, work, lead, and exist matter. Be you and no one else. It is okay if it makes others uncomfortable.
Finally, I wish I’d shared more of my gratitude for the people who’ve helped me. I didn’t realize the magnitude of their impact. Keep in touch with those who really help you on your hardest days. Make sure you have a grad school advisor who will be there on the worst day of your life, not just the best day. My advisor was there for me when my uncle got deported. He was the only person I could talk to.
Peaks and Valleys:
Who is your most important mentor?
Brianda De Leon:
My first mentor was my mother, Azucena. She taught me how to read and write in Spanish, and to advocate for myself and others. Seeing her fight for others with her words taught me to do what is right and just. I also thank my academic padrino, Dr. Enrique Aleman, who has been my mentor since 2012. Padrino is the Spanish word for godfather. He has helped me understand the field of education and how to also advocate for others. Most importantly, he’s also given me his time. That’s something I don’t take for granted from people. Make sure to find your people, wherever you are at.