July 22, 2024

(HOUSTON, TX) - Congratulations to MSW Student Nohemy Gonzalez Rojas who was awarded a 2024 Ima Hogg Scholarship by The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

Recipients selected "were chosen for their commitment to strengthening the well-being of communities as professionals in the Texas mental health workforce."

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Name: Nohemy Gonzalez Rojas
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Program and Expected Graduation Year: Clinical, Face-to-Face, May 2025

Congratulations on being awarded this scholarship! What is the significance of this award as it relates to your education and future career?  

This award has helped me become more financially stable in the final year of my master's program, which will help me focus more on my studies and well-being. I'm incredibly grateful that I will have the opportunity to study abroad this year due to this increased financial stability, which will help me expand my knowledge and imagination about how social work can be practiced in Houston. 

What initially inspired you to continue your education in social work?

I worked as an AmeriCorps member for two years before entering my graduate program. Working with predominantly Latino/a/x students in San Antonio and Dallas allowed me to experience how systemic disparities affect students' mental health and academic success. This experience helped solidify my commitment to destigmatizing mental health within the Latino/a/x community while also addressing systemic barriers that prevented my students from obtaining their basic needs.  

Who is someone you look up to regarding social work and social justice?  

I've always greatly appreciated Bell Hooks' work. Her writing has helped me find the language to explain ideas of anti-oppression, feminism, and patriarchy lovingly and understandably. Her ideas are very relevant to social work, and I want to continue learning from her.

Why do you believe it is vital to provide/raise awareness of mental health services to historically underserved communities?

I believe emotional literacy and the destigmatization of mental health is an essential step on the road towards community healing. Many communities of color, including the Latino/a/x community, have trauma within our history due to systems of oppression, racism, and colonialism, and its continuing effects today prevent many of us from prioritizing our healing. By emphasizing an intersectional lens in community awareness of mental health, we can create new systems that equitably address our community's needs.

How has the GCSW prepared you for a future career in providing mental health services to underrepresented/underserved communities? 

 The knowledge I have gained during my master's program has helped me learn different ways social workers can address systemic inequities alongside mental health awareness. The GCSW's emphasis on cultural humility and positionality has helped me contemplate my own privilege within the helping profession. In addition, I have been able to reflect on the nuances of my identity, which I now understand can have privileged and oppressed elements within our current society. I've also enjoyed learning about how therapy modalities can be modified to be more culturally sensitive and adapted to support people of different cultural backgrounds and identities.