Jessica, GGAL mentor, hopes to support the socio-emotional development of youth

Jessica was a GGAL mentor and intern for our Spring 2020 term. She is studying Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota with the goal of supporting youth as a school psychologist!

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Why did you choose your major? I chose my major because I wanted to learn more about youth of all ages and how to best support them, mentally, socially, and emotionally!

Jessica Yan, GGAL Intern

What are your plans for after college or what is your dream career? A career I would like to work towards is being able to work with youth for youth, and am leaning towards being a school psychologist. How did you hear about WISE? I heard about WISE from a community-engaged learning class as an opportunity to work locally with youth. What led you to intern/mentor with WISE? Being a first generation woman of color definitely motivated me to work with WISE and the communities they work with. What goals did you have as an intern, if any? I wanted to engage and learn more about immigrant and refugee communities as well as how to best support them.

“. . . the purpose is not to empower these young women, but give them the tools, resources, and support for them to empower themselves.”

What did you expect to learn and why? I expected to learn more about the work WISE does and how they connect with young immigrant and refugee girls because they have two excellent programs, GGAL and WeLEAD. What did you learn or take away from your experience with WISE? I think an important takeaway from my time with WISE is that the purpose is not to empower these young women, but give them the tools, resources, and support for them to empower themselves. Tell us about a memory or experience that was significant to you during your internship. I loved connecting with each and every girl in GGAL, especially the times we work alongside one another, chatting and getting to know one another.