Dulce Ortega Rojas, MSW
Position: Mental Health Career Program Participant
Supervisor: Akiah T. R. Selwa, LMFT
Location: Van Nuys, CA
Dulce Ortega Rojas, MSW (she/her/ella) was born in Queretaro, Mexico. At the age of 11, she migrated with her mother and five-year-old brother to Los Angeles to reunite with her father. Dulce showed interest in school from a young age. With the help of her school’s college counselor, she learned about AB-540 and the doors it opened. As a first generation undocumented student, Dulce learned to navigate through the education system. At the age of 18, she left home and moved into a dorm room at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her journey there was short. At the time, there were little to no loans or scholarships open to undocumented students. Dulce went back to the community that saw her grow up, the San Fernando Valley. She enrolled in Los Angeles Valley College where she earned her associate degree in early childhood education. She then transferred to CSU Northridge where she earned her B.A. in child and adolescent development. In 2021, she earned her master’s degree in social work at the same university (CSUN). Despite still being undocumented, Dulce is a bilingual Associate Social Worker and a social justice and mental health advocate. She has worked with children, families, and adults in various settings. As a therapist, her work centers migration and generational trauma and she hopes to interrupt the cycles of maladaptive coping whilst honoring and centering culture and our ancestors. Dulce seeks to provide an intersectional and culturally sensitive environment for undocumented folks in the community.
