We were lucky to catch up with Rosa Valdes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rosa, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Educated Chola, is a display of my personal struggles and journey with a mental health disorder with a Latino point of view. I know I am not the only one that recognizes the stigma in our community. ‘There is a perception in Latino/Hispanic communities, especially among older people, that discussing problems with mental health can create embarrassment and shame for the family, resulting in fewer people seeking treatment’ (MHANational 2022).

The goal of Educated Chola is not just to create this awareness, but to create awareness with impact. There are 5.7 million Latinos that reported experiencing a mental illness in 2020, has made it more important to spotlight the millions of Latino individuals that struggle daily with similar issues. Growing up in my Latino community, I experienced firsthand the socioeconomic discrepancies that my family and most Latino families experienced. This combined with lack of access to resources, commonly available to others, had a long-lasting impact on our mental health.

This is why it is important to share Educated Chola with the local community, by participating at local in-person events, where I can share my story as well as speak about the prevalence of mental health issues in our homes and ending the stigma for the future of our Latino community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Ever since I was a child, specifically 8 years old, I knew I wanted to go to college. It actually was not even the WANT to go to college and get a higher education, but more so a NEED, that I told myself I had to do. This is one of the earliest moments in my life that I can now identify as a result of my anxiety and internalized trauma.

By this age, with my father passing away three years earlier, we moved two times. My undocumented mother, my 2 sisters, and I, lived in a one-bedroom apartment in South East Los Angeles. My father’s passing left my mother stranded on her own, without a high school education, an undocumented status, and unemployed.

Realizing all of this now, I still ask myself the question,‘ how did my mother do it?’. There was no extended family support. If anything, her friends and employer’s willingness to support her, despite her legal status, and government assistance.
Even in my young age, I could acknowledge that we were ‘poor.’ Poverty lines, food stamps, ‘free’ lunch tickets, and getting my glasses through Medicaid/doctor’s visits, all helped reinforce this idea early on.

The result of this has been an anxiety disorder that is constantly triggered due to financial instability, poverty, legal status concerns, and acculturation. In addition to this, Latino individuals are now riddled with generational trauma, generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more.

Knowing I had a mental health disorder from a very young age, but not realizing I could have received help, is what inspires me to do this work.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My previous career was a huge part of why I started Educated Chola. I currently am no longer directly in the non-profit world. I previously was in the field of fundraising (development), and while I learned a lot, it definitely exacerbated my mental health issues. Having been told, ‘all of these kids with their Master’s degrees, are taking the jobs’ by my then supervisor, as she was trying to get out of the job, was insulting and discouraging trying to ‘make it’ as a Latina in the workforce. In addition, I was told my writing was never good enough, so much so, that I even heard the whispers from one of my supervisors at another position, as she sat and spoke about me to another white woman over the phone.

Non-profit life/culture has been really detrimental to my mental health and unfortunately is what is driving these issues in communities of color for those that have ‘made it’. Co-vid 19 finally gave me the kick in the butt to get out of these hyper-stressed/toxic work environments.

I now have what I consider to be a regular job, within the field of real estate. I have a few other side hustles for extra income and work on my business whenever I’m not working my regular 9-5. As an entrepreneur myself, I also try to uplift others and entrepreneurs of color; by working to provide them with diverse and inclusive assistance. This includes assisting BIPOC women of color within the LEEAF Accelerator program, friends with their own businesses that I consult to, as well via some additional work through one of my side hustle jobs.

I know the stress isn’t gone, but it’s different from the burnout and mental breakdowns caused by my previous non-profit positions. I’d like everyone to know, that you don’t have to do it like every non-person of color is telling you it has to be done. They do not know your struggles and can never truly relate, take their opinions with a grain of salt.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Along the way in the beginning through now, in-person events and interactions with individuals on my brand’s social media accounts; has all led me to know that this has been missing all along. I persistently and openly receive messages from individuals feeling comfortable enough to ask me: How do you look for a therapist? How did you do it?, What is it like to take medication? Have you taken this medication?, Did you feel addicted?, etc. If it’s not a question like these, the validation that this is needed comes in the form of a comment directly sent to me via a message or in-person, about the impact a certain phrase has had for them. Like, the frequent reaction of crying from various customers, when reading the ‘chingate (fuck) imposter syndrome’ sticker,’ as it immediately resonates with them despite their own beliefs of having conquered it. That sticker was created because even with my Master’s degree from NYU, I have constant imposter syndrome that pops up here and there.

Overall, its really been my honesty without exaggerating my situation as I share my experiences with ‘Generalized Anxiety Disorder’ that brings customers and other companies to reach out to me. Alongside playing with humor, on a topic that is so stigmatized, and continues to be so, that I have fans and then I don’t have fans from other aspects that might see it as crude versus helping. I know we can’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but we will keep on pouring regardless. There currently isn’t a market for mental health lifestyle brands with a person of color in the seat, so I feel like I am building that reputation and that market concurrently.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.educatedchola.com
• Instagram: educatedchola
• Other: Tiktok: educatedchola