We were lucky to catch up with Sara Diaz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sara , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

At the beginning of the pandemic, I found myself with a lot of time to reflect. During this time, I realized that I had been severely burnt out by my job and no longer motivated by the work that I was doing. To put this into perspective, I was working in child welfare in NYC while living in NJ. I often worked 9-10 hour days, and additionally, I was sitting in about 2-3 hours of commute time every day. I felt like a robot as my days seem to blur together. I remember waking up, getting ready, commuting, working, commuting, eating, showering and then falling asleep. Each day was the same. My life was flashing right before my eyes, and I hadn’t even noticed. I knew right away that it was time to do some self-reflection.

First things first, I had to find my passion again for social work. As a social worker, I was subscribing to the narrative that social workers are supposed to be underpaid and overworked. I was tired of that! Around that same time, I was volunteering for a non-profit organization that supports college students by providing them with scholarships and leadership development training. I made instant connections with these students, who often entrusted me to find them support with their mental health. I knew there was a gap in support for college students as well as a stigma surrounding mental health in most cultures. With that, I decided to start my business in 2022, as a way to build partnerships with colleges and universities to provide workshops for students around the theme of mental health. I started off working on my business on the side, while also being employed full-time. In September of 2023, I took the leap of faith to replace my full-time job with my business.

My business, The First Gen Madrina, supports the first-generation community. Whether you are the first in your family to graduate from college or the first to enter into a new space/territory, I want to support you every step of the way. Along with this, I quickly realized that one does not stop being a first gen when they graduate college. As I was entering into a “lifetime of firsts”, I knew I had to help other professionals navigate that as well. Overall, my business is available to support college students on their academic journey as well as first-gen individuals through managing life challenges or transitions that may be new to them as the first. Through my business, I am able to give back to my community and be that support that I wish I had, especially when I was navigating college as the first.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My business is very much wrapped around who I am as a person and the support that I have always longed for as a first gen. My parents immigrated to this country from Cuba and did not have the opportunity to complete their college education. Eventually, I become the first in my family to obtain my degree as well as my Masters in Social Work.

As a first-gen college student, I was, unfortunately, not connected to any resources in the beginning. The transition from high school to college was rough on my mental health, and I ended up experiencing my first panic attack my freshman year. Thankfully, I learned about different resources, and I was eventually connected to therapy. I decided to study Psychology and Social Work as a way to be able to support my family and my community. Being a part of the Latinx community, I have to manage the mental health stigma every day. I created The First Gen Madrina (godmother) to be that support for someone else, when they might not have anyone else to go to for support. Now, I get to help other first gens navigate college, careers, family and other major life challenges and transitions. I get to educate them on taking care of their mental health as well as connect them with resources as needed.

I am most proud of when a client tells me that they finally feel understood and have found someone that can relate to their experiences. I am proud to be that support and guiding light to an individual that is struggling and may not have someone to turn to. I think what sets me apart from others is that I am representative of my clients, so I know exactly what they are experiencing. This business is created for first gens by a fellow first gen.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is one of my favorite questions because it is the bulk of the work that I do with my clients. Back when the pandemic started, I began to crave a slow-paced lifestyle. I was born and raised in the ti-state area and was used to a fast paced life. I quickly realized that this was interfering with my mental health, and I needed to make some fast changes. I made the courageous decision to leave my home state behind in order to find more quality of life. This was going against the norm and expectations that my family had for me, so it was a huge challenge to navigate in the beginning.

When I first moved, I started to work in a new job that I believed was my dream job, at the time. Within 5 months, I realized that this job was limiting my potential and not paying me my worth. I decided to pivot and pursue my business full-time, in order to find my purpose. For us to make that pivot or “take the leap” as I call it, one must first learn to believe in themselves. If we don’t trust that we have the capability, we won’t be able to pivot. It starts with us!

Overall, I think it is extremely important for all of us to learn how to pivot. It can actually be a huge skill and strength that we can use to our advantage. If the pandemic taught us anything, it taught us to be adaptable. Although my family pivoted out of necessity by leaving their home country behind, I can now pivot with purpose.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the best lesson that I had to unlearn is that I do not have to limit myself or put myself in a box. When I first graduated as a social worker, I only have one idea of what I was going to do with my life. I thought I was going to be a therapist and have to subscribe to the narrative of being underpaid and overworked. Once I eventually realized that I did not want to be a therapist, I felt a lot of shame and imposter syndrome, because I thought that was the only thing that I was allowed to do. I thought I was going to have to leave being a social worker behind in order to make money and build generational wealth. It wasn’t until I opened myself up to other possibilities and found an amazing mentor, that I started to create my new path for myself. Oftentimes, we are the only ones that are standing in our own way.

We have limitless potential and are in control over our own purpose. Don’t let others define you or put you in a box. Only you can know where you can go!

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefirstgenmadrina/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-diaz-lcsw/
• Other: Website: thefirstgenmadrina.com