A Mexican American With Dual Citizenship Is Leveraging Her Expertise to Coach Others
Inez González Perezchica, Ed.D. Cal State Fullerton like Latin Business Today is coaching success.
Latin Business Today: Inez we understand you have a dual citizenship, how did that play itself out? Yes, I do, I was born in Tijuana B.C. Mexico the youngest of eight girls. My parents were born in the U.S. so that qualified me as a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S.. The dual citizenship is not just a status, it’s a way of life. I’m proud to be a binational citizen and happy to live in a border region with easy access back and forth. I enjoy the people, the food, the culture of Mexico.- I wanted to make a difference, no surprise there. That’s been my lifelong quest.
- I wanted visibility, I was surprised by this. I had considered to have been able to put my ego in check, so why did I want visibility? I realized after some self-analysis that as a well-prepared Latina, I’m a good role model, and our community needs more role models. So, I wanted to step-up and be visible instead of working behind the scenes as I had done most of my life.
- I wanted autonomy. I wanted to work on building my vision and not someone else’s vision. I realize one usually doesn’t have full autonomy, but I wanted some degree of autonomy.
Inez with colleagues at NHMC
I had a conversation with NHMC’s President & CEO Alex Nogles about the fact that I was ready for a new challenge. He agreed that I was ready to lead and he said he would help me find my next job and he did. He shared with me an email about Cal State Fullerton starting a new initiative related to Hispanic Media. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to work with college students. Working at CSUF has been a blessing. I finally found my purpose. I have mentored many before going to CSUF, but now I have a captive audience of talented, mostly first-generation college students, that want to find a way into the newsroom, entertainment, public relations, and advertising. I’ve been able to mobilize by network and create new relationships that will lead to opportunities for these students. I feel that my entire career trajectory has led me here. Even the fact that I studied computer science and I only practiced for a year, gives students some sense of comfort that they don’t need to stress too much about what they are studying. A B.A. degree is important, but it doesn’t define you and what you will do for the rest of your life. It just provides a solid educational foundation.Latin Business Today: Please share your thoughts and experiences on how mentoring young Hispanics can make a difference.
Inez on a MediaCon panel
Mentoring is important. It goes back to the fact that everybody has the power and capability to make a difference in someone’s life. Mentoring means sharing your time and knowledge with someone.
As a society we’ve become a very individualistic society, soley focused on ourselves and our small circle of friends and family. If more people looked outside that small circle and reached out to one student, one young professional, and just took the time to listen and share advice we as a community would be in a much better place. I do think that people aren’t willing to mentor, they just don’t know how to make it happen. I don’t hesitate to connect students with professionals all the time. My work is about mentoring, coaching. It’s just incredible for me to witness how just some words of advice can really change someone’s future. Latin Business Today: Latin Business Today’s mission is founded on Dr. Les “Coach” Fernandez’s mentorship legacy. Is there a mentor who influenced you? What factors and people most influenced your career in academia? Bill Briggs, the Dean who hired me has been my biggest influence because he took a chance and was willing to bring an outsider, a non-academic to fill this position. It’s not easy to get into academia. I really was lucky, but I also was the right person for this job. I wish universities understood the value of non-academics. Of course, you need scholars, but there is a very important role for practitioner’s as well. There were a couple of other faculty members that were very helpful in providing advice that helped me succeed. Because academia really is a different universe and to create change you need to be able to navigate that unique culture. Latin Business Today: What advice would you give your fellow Latinos who want to make a difference in coaching/mentoring the next generation of business leaders and small business owners? As the famous Nike ad campaign points out…”just do it”. It can make such an important difference in someone’s life. If you don’t know how to start please reach out and contact me. I’ll share some thoughts and ideas. Or just contact someone you know that works with colleges or universities. Also, what I have learned about mentoring is that my role is not to get my mentee to do what I want them to do, my role is to listen and to be a sounding wall for them. The mentee will either listen to me or not and that’s ok. I no longer get disappointed when someone doesn’t listen, it’s their life to live. But I must say when I see someone that I mentor, make the changes they need to make and create a new future for themselves I’m just honored to have had the opportunity to have touched that life. Related articles: Hispanic Heritage Inspiration Celebrated A Once In a Lifetime Story of Digital Transformation In Education A Technological, Innovation and Cultural Shift in Education Education is Crucial for Hispanic Businesses to Succeed