Austin – Texas A&M University-Commerce graduate students Lizette Flores, Alma Ramirez and Mayra Vargas have been awarded scholarships from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to support bilingual mental health services in Texas. All are students in the Department of Social Work.
Flores received her bachelor's degree in social work at the University of Texas-Pan American. As a certified Latina mental health practitioner, Flores recognizes the importance of providing mental health services in the primary language of those seeking services. "The changes made possible through mental health services are amazing and intriguing to me. The more I learn about the psyche and human behavior strengthens my goal to render services," she said.
While interning at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Ramirez witnessed the need for bilingual social workers. "When working with clients who only speak Spanish, it was important to be able to communicate effectively with them in their native language," she said. Ramirez is eager to earn her master's degree after completing her undergraduate degree in social work at Texas Woman's University earlier this year.
Vargas was inspired to begin a career in social work after working at Centro de Asistencia de Inmigracion, a nonprofit organization in San Antonio dedicated to assisting people with legal immigration matters. "I felt a great need to provide our clients with intervention services, but unfortunately I wasn't trained to do so," she said. After obtaining her master's degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, she hopes to use her skills to contribute to the mental health of the Hispanic community. Vargas received a bachelor's degree in biblical and theological studies from Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio.
The scholarships are part of a statewide strategy to increase Spanish-language mental health services. The strategy has proven so successful that the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health is investing an additional $1.5 million to extend the program three more years.
The foundation pays tuition and fees for new bilingual students entering graduate social work programs in Texas. In return, students agree to provide mental health services in Texas for a period equal to the timeframe of the scholarship. The foundation has awarded 82 scholarships in just two years.
"Texas has a shortage of mental health workers, especially those who speak languages other than English. These scholarships are producing a new generation of social workers who have the education, training, cultural awareness and language skills needed to help fill that gap," said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the foundation.
The Hogg Foundation was founded in 1940 by the children of former Texas Governor James Hogg to improve mental health for the people of Texas. The foundation is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.