We were lucky to catch up with Brenda De La Cruz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Brenda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
As someone who has undergone an unorthodox way of getting to a new career, I would hope to leave the type of legacy that would inspire people to strive for the outcome and not the income. Going from a social worker, specifically in non-profit areas, to journalism, where the pay can be very little, was done with the purpose of simply helping people just to help. Legacies can be defined as what you leave behind for your loved ones, and most people may think of money. However, teaching your loved ones and the rest of the world how to be human first is something that is somewhat lost in todays society. After I am gone I believe most people will say that I had a big heart and always put others needs before my own, perhaps to my own detriment. I would not want to be remembered any other way. Knowing that I made others smile and feel safe with me would be my greatest accomplishment.
Brenda , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Brenda and I am both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and aspiring sports journalist. I started working in the mental health field in 2007 and obtained my first master’s degree in 2016 in Social Work. I have worked as a mental health therapist for adults, teens, young kids, probation and foster care youth, as well as hospice and hospital work. I first got into the field after seeing my brother struggle with gang affiliation and drug use. I grew up in Pacoima, CA and many of my childhood friends often got into trouble with the law. I wanted to get out of that cycle and help others in similar situations and decided to pursue social work. I provided my clients with one on one therapy, group and family therapy, grief counseling, but my speciality was trauma focused work. During my many years in the field, I realized that although I enjoyed helping others, I was not truly content in my career. I knew I loved to write and I knew sports were my passion. I recalled escaping work for an hour or so to simply write at the local Starbucks and how much that made my heart smile. That’s when I decided to juts go for it and I enrolled in journalism courses and try it out to see if I really wanted to pursue the field. I instantly fell in love. From 2019 to 2023 I worked a full time job and took two to three classes, including working for the campus news to help get closer to my dream of becoming a sports broadcaster one day.
I was accepted into one of the country’s best sports journalism schools, Northwestern. I am now working on my second master’s degree, this time in journalism with a sports media specialization. I uprooted my entire life and moved to Chicago from California at the age of 36. This has been one of the scariest things I have ever done.
My immigrant parents came here and raised us on very little, yet we always felt like we had the whole world. I watched both of them work tirelessly and still come home and show us love and patience, even when we misbehaved. My father was the reason for my love of baseball. We grew up watching games together and rooting for the Dodgers as a family. I promised my dad I would one day work for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could see me attending the best university for me to live out my dream job. I graduate in the summer and so far what I am most proud of is pushing past my fear of failing and taking the plunge.
With my background in therapy, I know i have a good grasp at how to speak with people. I can relate to others and always try to put myself in their shoes.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Since I began my journey of following my dream career, I unfortunately have dealt with a lot of loss. I started classes in 2019 and despite working full time and juggling classes and a long-distance relationship, I was managing it well. Then, in December 2020, my family received a phone call telling us my brother passed away from COVID in Mexico. My mothers first born was gone. My older brother was no longer with us and I would never hear his sweet voice again. One of my sisters and I traveled to Mexico on New Year’s Eve to handle the paperwork to brig him home to the US, all while worried about our mother, who had gone into shock and was inconsolable. Two weeks later, in January 2021, my maternal grandmother also passed away. This passing was somewhat expected as she had severe dementia and was 91 years old, but still painful. Abuelita Rosa was the matriarch of the family. She helped my parents raise all four of us so they could work their jobs and provide for us. Countless memories were made with her. My mother was crushed, having lost her son and mother within two weeks.
We mourned for a long time. These two deaths took a heavy toll on us. My mother was my grandmothers caregiver and cared for her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One day, my father, half joking, said he would be the next to need care. Unfortunately, in April 2022, doctors informed us my father had lung cancer. The cancer eventually metastasized to both lungs, his bones and lymph nodes. Later in November 2022, my father passed away. This passing was different because my dad was one of my biggest supporters and the reason I followed my passion of writing about sports. He was my daddy. I fell into a depression and would not leave the house for what felt like forever. I almost gave up on my dreams, but luckily have amazing friends and family who pulled me out of it. I still mourn him, as it’s only been one year, and i hate he wont be present to see me live out my dreams, but I also know he is with me in spirit through it all.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I was in high school, I had two amazing teachers who sparked my interest even more when it came to journalism. One of those teachers was an editor for a major newspaper and she was such a tough grader, but was also passionate about teaching. I left her class feeling inspired and empowered to pursue my career of writing. However, there was another teacher who at first inspired me, and later told me that journalism for a girl would be hard to break into. i believed him. I suddenly was too scared to pursue my dream and immediately talked myself out of it and chose a different path. This was in 2005.
Fast forward to 2024 and I now am the graduate student representative for the Association of Women in Sports Media chapter at the best school for sports broadcasting in the nation. I had to teach myself not to let others own fears and insecurities tear my own dreams apart. I have learned to push myself and never give up. I still have my moments of “imposter syndrome” where I feel I don’t belong and feel like a phony, but both my own successes and my dad taught me to never listen to nay-sayers and keep fighting.
Image Credits
graduation picture taken by Abel Arrizon (instagram: @fange_photograph)