My name is Fernanda Calderon and I am a second-year at The University of Texas at Austin. I have always been extremely interested in mental health and marginalized groups, especially when having to do with children, adolescents, and young adults, so I am on the Pre-Medical track majoring in Psychology B.S. with the hope of becoming a Psychiatrist. I was born in Mexico and grew up very immersed in the culture, so even though I moved to the U.S. at a very young age, I have a deep love and appreciation for my Latinx/Hispanic community.  Given that my family moved around a lot I attended three different high schools: my first two high schools were very well-off schools with numerous resources; however, my third high school had a population that was mainly economically disadvantaged, with the majority being Latinx/Hispanic. Due to the drastic difference between my first two high schools as opposed to the third in the support students received from both school and their parents along with the different lifestyles led by the students outside of school, I was keen on joining a research project that deeply looked into the stressors various Latinx/Hispanic students face that affect their education in order to provide them with more resources and support, which is exactly what JUNTOS does. During my free time I love to watch Netflix, Hulu, or Youtube; hang out with my friends and family; exercise; and sleep! 

My name is Sabrina Reyes and I am a biology major in the class of 2025! I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and have always had a passion for research, marginalized groups and combating prejudices and biases in many fields. I am currently on the pre-med track and I hope to become a surgeon or an OB/GYN. I’m also involved in WIM and UT Catalyst here on campus! In my free time, I love to craft, color, bake, watch TV, enjoy music, and thrift shop.

My name is Julieta Jimenez (she/her/hers). I am a first-generation student pursuing a Psychology B.A. career at the University of Texas at Austin. I am passionate about mental health awareness, decreasing the stigma within minority populations, and being a voice for underrepresented communities. I was drawn to the lab because of its focus on stressors that Latinx/Hispanic populations face. In my free time, I like to cook, read, and spend time with the people around me. I also enjoy going on walks and spending time outdoors.

Hey everyone! My name is Isabel Serralde and I am a Public Health major here at UT in the class of 2025! I am getting my Spanish for medical professionals certificate and pre health professions certificate. I am on a pre- PA track hoping to become an emergency medicine physician assistant. I am involved in Global Medical Training and this lab! I grew up in a small rural town in Missouri and never understood what it meant to be Latinx and to have such a large community of people for support, until I moved to Texas. Over the years, I have developed a passion for what it means to be part of an underrepresented group of people and the implications that brings on everyday life. Mental health and the ability to overcome the obstacles that life throws at us everyday is very valuable and should be spoken about more. In my free time, I love to paint, bake, binge watch Netflix series, and go places to dance with my friends.

Hi! I'm currently a biology major with a history minor in the class of 2025. I'm originally from Houston, TX and grew up in a large latinx community which drew me to the focus of this lab. I'm passionate about health inequity in our world and currently i'm a team lead for the Partners in Health Engage chapter on the UT campus. I hope to eventually work in the pediatric field and help advocate for better healthcare access in the US and abroad. Outside of school, I love to dance, read, and bake for my friends!

Hello! I’m Nilmarie (Nil for short) and I use they/she pronouns. I’m a First-gen, eldest daughter of 5 siblings, Mexican-Honduran-American studying Communication Design Major and CompSci Minor at Texas State University. I participated in an early college program in high school that made it possible for me to earn an Associates Degree in General Studies from ACC, a Certification in Engineering Technology and my high school diploma in ‘21/’22 and (hopefully) graduate from TXST in 2025 instead of ‘26. I interviewed the JUNTOS Lab’s Project Coordinator (Isabella Hernandez) and created a booklet about her experience with the program as part of a final project for my Fall Semester at TXST. Amazingly, it led to me getting the opportunity to work with the Lab as an RA specializing in Graphic/Website Design 🙂 I’m ever grateful to be a part of this lab and the values it upholds. I know I'm lucky to be able to say I’m working on something I care about and is impactful so early on in my career as a designer, thank you JUNTOS! (It’s already smo much fun).

Hi! My name is Vianey and I'm a current public health major on the pre-med track in the class of 2024. I was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico but graduated high school from El Paso, TX. I was really drawn to the JUNTOS lab since I was interested in understanding more about cultural stressors that the Latinx community, especially students, may face. As someone with similar experiences, I wanted to work towards finding and creating resources to make the journey as a Latinx/Hispanic student a little easier for future generations. In my free time, I love to watch movies, whether they're period pieces or superhero movies, and find new places to get coffee at!

Hi! My name is Jennifer and I am a psychology major on the pre-med track in the class of 2025. I am originally from Venezuela, but I grew up in Australia before moving to the United States. Since I moved around various cities and countries, I became interested in the cultural stressors and challenges Hispanic/Latinx immigrants face. In the future, I hope to work as a psychiatrist and lessen the barriers to mental health treatments in Hispanic/Latinx communities. In my free time, I watch F1, listen to music, and go to concerts.