04/03/2024 12:27:42 PMHannah Van SickleCarolina Jaldin, BHSC Scholar

Growing up, Carolina Jaldin attributes regular exposure to behavioral health services provided through her school as instrumental in processing some of the trauma she grew up with. “I can't imagine what my childhood would have looked like without the tools to comprehend all of what I was feeling,” says Jaldin, a second-generation immigrant, who was raised by a single mother from Brazil. “She did a beautiful job considering the cards she was dealt,” says Jaldin of social barriers—from prejudice and stereotypes to lack of cultural understanding—at every turn. “My values were defined by the immigrant community in which I was raised,” says Jaldin who identifies as both Hispanic and Latina (her late father was born in Bolivia), communities in which a stigma surrounding mental health lingers. Last spring, after earning her BS in psychology from UMass Amherst, the first-generation college student was inspired to learn more about the field of behavioral healthcare while gaining hands-on experience—hallmarks of the Behavioral Health Service Corps.℠ (BHSC) at William James College.

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