Jennifer "Jennie" Herrera

Major: Sociology

Minor: Psychology

Hometown: South Central, Los Angeles

Graduation Date: Spring 2020

Career Plans: Clinical Social Work

Hi! I’m from south central Los Angeles and I came to CSU Channel Islands as a freshman. When I was in high school, I didn't try my best in my classes because I didn't think I was “college material.” I went to a predominantly white high school and being around people with wealth, I always thought they were the ones that were meant to go and not me. Luckily, my high school put me on the right track by making me take the courses required to go to a four-year university. I didn't exactly know how the application process worked for financial aid or for applying for universities and my college center didn't help, so I felt stuck and had to use the internet and friends for help. Somehow, I was able to apply and met all the deadlines and was able to come to CSUCI.

My first year I had imposter syndrome, which is basically feeling inadequate even though I made it to a four-year university right after high school. After getting involved on campus and getting my job at PEEPs I started to feel more confident in myself and knew I was on the right track. Now, I am happy to help first generation students like myself know what the process is to get into college and continue helping them throughout their time in college. I have helped high school and middle school students get into the college going process and I help students who are already in college get to know the resources on campus and make them feel a better sense of belonging in the school. In the future, I plan to get an MSW to be a clinical social worker.