Meet Estrella Serrato | First-generation Latina & Academic Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Estrella Serrato and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Estrella, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Doing the thing that scares me the most… elevated Cafecito con Estrellita® a Latinx podcast that guides first-generation scholars through the path of education to launch and be the ever growing platform that we see present today. I started my higher education journey at 18 years old and attended my local community college. I did not know what I wanted to do, however, from the moment I stepped foot on my campus I experienced the pressures that many first-generation Latinxs experience first hand. The everlasting unrealistic expectations to “not fail your family and making every single sacrifice that they made worth putting you on a school campus in the United States.” On top of working multiple part-time jobs, extracurriculars, building connections, undergraduate research, cooking, cleaning and serving as an emotional support to my younger siblings. It was a lot, and honestly till this day I can’t confidently say that I am proud of holding so many roles due to the fact that it caused a huge toll on my mental health. But I would do it again if it meant that I got to see my loved ones grow the way that they have and to see the resilient community of Cafecito con Estrellita® eager to learn, study, honor themselves and continue to break every destructive intergenerational/generational cycle that has ever made them feel powerless. Mi gente are the definition of representation and it is seen every single day as they continue to pave the way.

Now going back to my original statement “doing the thing that scares me the most” is exactly what I did to put myself in the position that I am in today. From elevating, failing, landing on academic probation, leaving broken relationships, damaging my mental health dropping out of my Masters program to start all over again in a Credential Program, after making the decision of moving to serve as a support to my aunt the moment my uncle had unexpectedly lost his life.

I was never meant to make it this far, but I am here continuing to pave the way towards a Spanish Ph.D. while doing everything in my power to give my back my community and honor younger me by giving future me everything that she deserves.

Mija, please never give up on you. You are the miracle our culture deserves.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Aside from social media and being a grad student I work as an English Language Resource Specialist Assistant while completing my Student Teaching for the Spanish Credential and BCLAD authorization. I definitely experience an immense amount of code switching throughout my work day, but I love what I do. I did not grow up actively speaking Spanish, my parents were determined to learn English which is why they would use it with my sisters and I in the household. Thankfully, I did not loose my Spanish tongue completely, I was able to practice it with my grandparents. However, it was one of the many leading factors that caused me experience “not being Mexican enough nor American enough.”

My English Language Learners share many of the similar challenges I faced and so do my Spanish students. There is beauty and resilience with being bilingual here in the United States but sometimes it feels as if we don’t belong because our roots stem from more than one place. English Language Learners bring the gift of a second language to predominately English Language schools here in the U.S. and it is essential for me in my position to ensure that I and many other Teachers/Educators provide the tools needed to promote academic success and empowering experiences throughout their Language as well as cultural journeys.

I make it my mission to serve as an academic and emotional support, to be that representation for my EL/ESL and Latinxs K-12 students who have so much to offer the world and are destined to be the trailblazing future leaders that our communities deserve. I don’t take my title as a Role Model lightly, it is essential for my students, my people to see that they can accomplish far more than what they could ever imagine in this lifetime.

As you can see I have many different roles and when I sit down to name them all, I start to get overwhelmed. Quite honestly I do not always know what to even call myself other than Estrellita. The biggest take away I want you to get from this statement is that I am a proud daughter of immigrants first-generation Latina who is paving the way to showcase the importance of representation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If mi mejor amiga were to visit the area I am currently living in, the first place we would go to is Palo Santo Café, located in Riverbank, CA. It is the first ever Traditional Mexican Café in this county and the representation has been needed for so long. It is open 6 days a week and rarely is it empty, when I tell you our gente want to see representation I really mean it. Mi amiga and I would enjoy a nice breakfast and drink our cafecitos while taking lots of cute pictures to upload onto social media.

Next, I would drive them to California State University, Stanislaus so we could walk around the arboretum to enjoy the beautiful scenery and have endless conversations on any and all topics. La platica can go on for hours when you are Latina/o/x.

Lastly, for dinner I would take them to El Maguey an artful Mexican Restaurant where I take myself on solo dates to enjoy a nice dinner and drink at the bar. We would have great conversations with the bartenders and I say this with full confidence because they are by far the most welcoming staff I have yet to come across.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The mujer I have the absolute honor of crediting for all her efforts, support, femtorship and encouragement is none other than Maricela Becerra García, PhD. @academicmami. Dr. Becerra was one of the original Latina Academics on Instagram. I began engaging with her content in 2018, a few months before I was going to cross the graduation stage for my Bachelors degree. Although I did not quite understand the importance of representation at the time, something in Dr. Becerra and the content that she was producing reassured me that it was possible for me to obtain a PhD and serve as a social media presence. Fast forward to 2020 when I started Cafecito con Estrellita® Dr. Becerra @academicmami messaged me and since then has continued to serve as a support to me.

Talk about a starstruck moment, having your idol find out who you are and want to get to know you!

Website: https://cafecitoconestrellita.com/

Instagram: @cafecitoconestrellita https://www.instagram.com/cafecitoconestrellita/

Twitter: @cafeconestrella https://twitter.com/cafeconestrella?lang=en

Other: Podcast name: Cafecito con Estrellita Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cafecito-con-estrellita/id1517087857 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5x3pKQoC6QHOGqmvBtclS8

Image Credits
Photo in red dress: @palosantocafe209