Meet Erika Zambrano-morales | Program Coordinator and Co-founder of the Zambrano-Morales Family

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erika Zambrano-morales and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erika, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Born and raised in East Los Angeles- Erika is the first member of her family to graduate from high school and hold a master’s degree in Psychology. Dulce’s master’s degree is in Education while Johnny’s is in Sociology. They value the importance of mentorship, academic resources, a college education, and family and community values are essential values that they cherish.

My parents, Ezequiel and Elena, immigrated to California from Tepatlaxco de Hildalgo a town in Puebla, Mexico at different times. As many immigrants, they had trouble settling down, experienced language barrier issues, and economic hardships. My father tells us that he was sleeping inside a van for some time and would shower and eat at a distant relative’s house. My mother, on the other hand, arrived at a house where my aunt had been renting for some time. My father and mother continued their relationship in Los Angeles and together they sold lamps and fruit produce in the streets of Pasadena, Lancaster, Oxnard, and Bakersfield to name a few cities. Eventually they landed a stable job working in a factory where pillows were produced.

The Zambrano-Morales Family settled in the heart of East Los Angeles. As I reflect on my journey so far, I say it is not my own. Rather the product of a generational movement. My parents went through so much to come to this country and our role was to take advantage of the opportunity of being born in the United States, to persist and deliver, to persist and succeed, to persist and bring back to our community. Thus, my siblings and I honor the late-night talks my parents shared about their lives and the importance of education, persistence, and resiliency—and most importantly family, community values, and a strong faith. The message is also shared with our own children. They are part of the story- their Abuelitos sacrificed so many things for us to have a better life, and thus, we have the responsibility and familial duty to continue achieving, and thus, the continuation of our family legacy.

During the start of the pandemic, my siblings and I noticed how hard the pandemic was impacting students and their families. We realized that families were not prepared for their children to take online classes. In addition to that, our community who is primarily Hispanic/Latino (97%) with close to 27% of them living below the federal poverty line, had one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections, and high unemployment rates due to the pandemic. It was clear that our community in East LA needed extra support. Thus, it became our mission to help them, at least in the educational sector, so students could continue their education online. We purchased essential materials for an online education including, whiteboards, dry erase markers, printing paper, pens, pencils, to name a few. Eventually raising funds via a fundraising platform and reaching out to colleagues and peers to help contribute to the cause. We knew that our collective action was fundamental to support children and alleviate some of the burden that parents and children were facing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Aside from being the co-founder of the Zambrano-Morales Family, I am currently the Coordinator of the Psychology Department at Cal State LA. Most of my work consists of maintaining departmental and faculty budgetary data, processing employment for faculty and students. Proper organization, planning and directing are essential elements in my job as a department coordinator. In addition, I maintain an active role with the department chair, as well as managers and deans of the College of Natural and Social Sciences.

I think what makes me different from other coordinators in my field is my research-oriented background, networking skills, problem-solving and innovative thinking. It is very important to me to cultivate innovation thinking to overcome challenges everywhere I go, particularly in important projects or goals. Persistence is an equally important part of me to accomplish a goal.

Currently, I am most excited to find ways to help support the Psychology Resource Center (PRC) – a center dedicated to helping psychology students navigate the different pathways of psychology degrees and professions. My hope for the PRC is that it eventually becomes an established center at Cal State LA. I am excited to be helping because the PRC represents an essential resource that aligns with the Zambrano-Morales Family’s mission and purpose to help students succeed.

Cal State LA serves a student body primarily of First-gen, Hispanic, where close to 73% of students are considered low-income. The PRC will help students navigate the application process for higher academic degrees and obtain a professional career. I believe the PRC is essential because psychology students will have a center to go for mentorship, resource finding, and career development workshops for the field of psychology. I am who I am today because of my mentors at Cal State LA. In fact, my siblings and I are proud alumni of Cal State LA.

Many students find it difficult to finish a degree, particularly first-gen students. Just as my siblings and I experienced, the financial and social burdens as impediments to obtaining a college degree, many students continue facing these difficulties. The Zambrano-Morales Siblings overcame these challenges by having faith and connecting with professors and mentors that believed in us, encouraged us to persist and be resilient, and helped us develop academic skills. They connected us with social, financial, and academic resources that helped us complete our degrees– and we are here to help.

I would like the world to know that helping students is such an important investment for future generations and contributes to so many improvements in their personal lives, their families, and their communities. Children are the future. Students who graduate become the trailblazers for future generations to look at, to ease and inspire their own journey. And thus, the Zambrano-Morales Family wants to be part of this investment. So, I encourage anyone who wants to invest in our community to reach out to us and be part of the transformative and empowering experience in the lives of students in my community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA has too much to offer, but our best family places particularly during the summer are spending our time at my local library and parks.

My family also enjoys going to the Aquarium of the Pacific, Lego Land, and museums such as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. We also love science museums, and California Science Center, and the Discovery Cube are great places to go. We particularly enjoy spending our time looking at the stars, and the Griffith Observatory is the place to be.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My siblings and I recognize the importance of great teachers and dedicated mentors. We were fortunate to have many educators over the years who touched our hearts and believed in us.

Particularly me, I would like to recognize Dr. Gaithri A. Fernando, Dr. Kaveri Subrahmanyam, and Dr. Ramani Durvasula – Professors during my time as a student in the Psychology Department at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA). Each one of them, with their unique personalities, mentorship, and guidance helped my academic, professional, and personal development.

In terms of our philanthropy quest to empower our community by connecting them to resources, important role models, and other opportunities for academic success, our gratitude and appreciation goes to the individual parents, professors, colleagues, and friends who supported our initiative. Including David Lee, an employment attorney who fights for the rights of workers and is the founder of David Lee Law, APC. Mike Alder and Gina Zapanta- self-empowered lawyers, and CEOs of the Zapanta-Adler Law contributed to donating school supplies and backpacks. Gina extended an invitation for free mentorship sessions to students in my community, including students from Cal State LA. Bridgewater Law Group’s founder Matt Zar and the Director of Operations, Myrna Ferniza also supported our initiative with their donations.

Susie Jaramillo was also among the first people to believe in one of our goals – to empower children through culture-content and relevant resources. Jaramillo- an Emmy-nominated director and storyteller, whose books and media entertainment songs son joyas de nuestra cultura has been donating books since the beginning of our philanthropical quest. So far, many students have benefited from receiving her books and the Read and Sign-Alongs that I do on Jaramillo’s books.

Our gratitude extends to Paco Benitez- content creator, entrepreneur and speaker, who is a 4 times TEDx Speaker and recognized by Forbes and The New York Finance as one of the best Public Speaking coaches in Latin America. His workshops on public speaking are helping me develop essential skills to aid the mission and goals of The Zambrano-Morales Family.

Special thanks to Patricia Ortiz – an Aerospace Engineer and NASA project manager working at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Ms. Ortiz is the only Latina managing projects for NASA in California. A presentation by Ms. Ortiz to grade school students in my community is on the works.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezambranomoralesfamily/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-zambrano-morales-3bba82a5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheZambranoMoralesFamily/

Other: Personal Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/erika.zambranomorales/

Image Credits
Image credits: The Zambrano-Morales Family