Monica Madrigal is a CLU double alum with a Bachelors degree in Sociology and Spanish and a Masters of Science in Counseling and Guidance with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential. She is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a counselor, and a school board trustee. Madrigal has been part of the TRIO family since she was in high school, from being part of the Upward Bound program here at Cal Lutheran while in high school to being part of Student Support Services when she was in college and now working for the program. Some fun facts about Monica are: she’s the middle child, she’s lived in the same house her whole life, it takes her five hours to finish a Starbucks drink, she loves Christmas, loves planning, and likes structure. Here’s a glimpse into the life of Monica Madrigal!
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: Why did you decide to come to CLU for your undergrad and graduate degree?
Monica Madrigal: My brother. I have always followed his path and no I am not a follower (well maybe I am, but I always wanted to be like him) but he talked so well about the school and after attending the Upward Bound program, I fell in love with the campus. It was also close enough to home that if I wanted to go, I would. But really, overall, I built a community here and that is also the reason why I decided to stay here for grad school and the same reason why I haven’t left.
HCCLU: Who has had the biggest impact in your life?
MM: My parents, my brother, and my sister. My parents because they taught us the importance of hard work and the value of family. They always worked hard to make sure that we were well taken care of and that we had everything that we needed. My brother, who instilled the importance of education. He was the first one to go to college and taught my sister and me to never give up, he has always been there when we needed him and is always there to help. And although I don’t like to admit it, he is almost always right. And my sister who really has been my biggest motivator. We are ten years apart, but she has taught me more about life than anyone else.
HCCLU: What inspired you to become a counselor?
MM: I always knew I wanted to be in education and I thought teaching was the only option, however, after much consideration I didn’t see myself as a teacher, but I didn’t know what to do. I remember one day my freshman year of college I spoke to my brother and told him how confused I was about my future plans. I told him I did not want to be a teacher but I still wanted to be in education, I reminisced on my high school experience and it helped me realize that I wanted to be a counselor because of the Upward Bound program. When I was in high school I never saw my counselor until I was applying to college and she didn’t know who I was and yet I caught myself standing in her office asking her to write me a letter of recommendation. I explained this whole scenario to my brother and I said “I want to be able to help students” and after thinking about my own high school experience, both with my counselor and the Upward Bound program, I decided that I wanted to be a counselor because I wanted to help students. I decided that after graduating with my undergrad I would pursue a Masters degree in counseling. My junior year of college I met my counselor Elena Jaloma. Elena truly inspired me to become a counselor, from that moment forward I knew that one day I wanted to grow up to be just like her and take her job. During my graduate program my focus was in K-12 and during my internships I came to realize the importance of counselors in the schools. I had the opportunity to intern at two great schools with two great supervisors who believed in me and gave me every opportunity to be able to work with their students at those specific schools. I know to this day I’m able to count on my two field supervisors and on Elena Jaloma to help me in anything that I may need.
HCCLU: What does working with first generation students mean to you?
MM: Resilience and adversity. Being a first generation college student myself, I knew that I wanted to give back to a program that helped me and molded me into the person that I am today. I am fortunate to work with every student in this program and to get to know their story. It makes me proud to see them cross that stage on graduation day.
HCCLU: What does being a counselor mean to you?
MM: Being a counselor means being there for students and being able to be part of their college experience while learning their stories along the way. I get to learn from them every single day, I have the opportunity to help them and to be there for them during their best moments and their worst moments.
HCCLU: What is something that your students have taught you?
MM: To be a fighter and to be persistent.
HCCLU: Why did you decide to run for the Oxnard School Board?
MM: I decided to run because CLU brought out the leader in me, I realized that I wanted to be a voice for my students, their parents, and my community. And as I previously mentioned, my degree had the focus on K-12, yet I didn’t see myself leaving Cal Lutheran, so I wanted to do something where I could give back to my community without having to leave my job.
HCCLU: Did you ever see yourself running for school board?
MM: I never really knew what that meant or how it looked like until a couple of years ago. However, last March I decided that I was going to take the risk and do something that I never thought I would do. It all started with a conversation and then a lot of team effort, from my family, my co-workers, friends and students. Everyone supported me and I knew it was something that I wanted to do. During my campaign, I relied on people to help me and it made me realize the importance of networking. Education is something that I value a lot and I knew that I wanted to give back. Now that I sit on the board, it has been eye opening. I have learned a lot and whenever I get a chance I go to events to see what the students are doing. It is great to see students be passionate about their future at such a young age, it makes me excited to see what this generation will bring.
HCCLU: What’s a piece of advice that you want your students to know?
MM: To never give up and to always remember where they came from, to know that there may be someone out there who’s looking up to them. Sometimes, it is easy to look past things and to get caught up in the moment, but stop and look around to see your surroundings.