Latinos A Morir would like to recognize Roxana E. Tejada-Joya as member of the month. Besides being one of the most loyal members of Latinos A Morir by attending almost every event, she has a unique story with strong values that LAM truly admires.
Roxana was born in Miraflores (Lima, Peru) and grew up in her mom’s restaurant, “Las Joyas”. She would play with her dolls next to her aunt while she cooked her favorite dishes: Lomo Saltado and Arroz con Pollo. Her mother of African descent and her father of Italian, Middle Eastern, and Spanish descent raised her three brothers, one sister and her on Tarata Street. (Years later she witnessed the death of friends and the destruction of Tarata Street due to a terrorist attack by MRTA).
During her adolescent years, Roxana juggled ballet, karate, and swimming. She completed 12 years of being a ballerina, achieved a black belt in karate, and earned five swimming medals. Roxana then attended the University San Ignacio de Loyola, where she founded the first cultural center, and graduated at the top of her class with two bachelor degrees in business and communications while learning to be a mother of her first child.
After four years of working for the World Bank in Peru, Roxana transferred to the United States with her two children. It was a challenge for her to adjust at first since she didn’t know anyone, barely spoke English, and had two dependent children. She decided to start volunteering for government programs such as Cal Works and WIC. This volunteer work led her to speak with immigrants about government services that could benefit both them and their families, which she found empowering as well. She also learned about herself and her dreams. This led to the beginning of her journey to pursue an advanced degree in psychotherapy at JFK University. This journey challenged her as a foreign divorced mother, a woman, a student, and an employee. Often she had two to three jobs at a time to be able to complete her clinical requirements and to support her family.
This year she graduated with her Masters degree in psychology and completed her first year of a psychology Doctoral program. Currently she is a group leader at a high school support group for recent immigrant teenagers and a mental health clinician in an organization that offers services for foster children and their families.
Roxana states that her work is hard and sometimes draining, but the happiness of the Latino community, that sense of “belonging,” makes her immigrant and professional challenges more manageable. At LAM she not only finds a portal to celebrate her heritage, but also she has found a safe haven where she can heal herself of all the abuse and injustice she witnesses in her daily work.
By being member of the month, she will receive VIP entrance for the rest of the year and get two free drinks at our next event.
If you believe you or someone you know merits recognition, please send an email to info@lamsocialclub.com with the subject line titled ‘Member of the Month’. In the body, please answer the following questions (keep answers short and informational):
- Name of nominee
- Previous/Current accomplishment(s)
- Community involvement story
- Number of LAM events attended (rough estimate OK)
- A biography of nominee (where born, grew up, profession, family, anything else interesting)
- Project they would like to promote during their feature (for example, if Giovanni, the founder of LAM, would be featured in a magazine, he would like to promote Latinos A Morir)
