Lupita Jiménez is a Counselor and Professor with an educational background and professional experience from Mt. SAC, UCLA and CSULB.
She immigrated from Michoacan, Mexico to the U.S. at the age of 15, along with her mother and three sisters. Her undocumented student status gave her the opportunity to begin her college journey at Mt. San Antonio College. Although her high-school-to-college transition was not smooth as an ESL, low-income and first-generation college student, which placed her on the verge of dropping out during her first year, she learned the importance of student involvement on campus to combat feelings of disconnectedness and lack of sense of belonging. She attributes her college success to her extracurricular activities, including being the Mt. SAC Cross-Cultural Senator and Inter-Club Council Chair, and the intervention of the UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships for giving her the opportunity to be a CCCP (CCCP) Program Scholar and Peer Mentor.
After attending UCLA, Lupita became a full-time Mt. SAC High School Outreach Specialist supporting students to make a smooth transition from high school to college during two years. In the following seven years, she worked towards facilitating the transfer process for Mt. SAC students as a Transfer Specialist and adjunct counselor within EOPS/CARE.
Lupita’s counseling philosophy involves a challenge and support theoretical framework, which includes high expectations with high support. She works with her students as a team to accomplish the goals that they set for themselves, assuming mutual responsibility and holding each other accountable for their success. Her greatest passion is facilitating the educational attainment of historically underrepresented students, promoting transfer as a pathway to equity in education, and empowering them to become self-advocates and leaders in their communities in order to persist through completion. That includes supporting them through career and major exploration, which is very important to Lupita as a former undecided student.
Lupita is now married. She and her husband became homeowners in 2019 and have lived in the city of San Dimas since then. As part of her emotional self-care and hobbies, she enjoys watching Spanish-speaking TV shows, including Mexican telenovelas, and loves going HomeGoods shopping to decorate her home for every season and holiday. Above all, her greatest satisfaction comes from being innovative about ways to challenge the educational pipeline of undocumented and historically underrepresented students.
