Ms. Espinosa moved to New York in the year 2000 from Cali, Colombia to pursue her desire of becoming a forensic psychologist. As an immigrant in NYC she had to work harder to attain her goals because of challenges she faced such as English as a second language. She studied English for two years at Queens College to obtain a good level of understanding in the language. She also became a personal trainer to support herself as a college student. In 2004 she continued her degree in psychology which she had started in Colombia. In May of 2010 she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Forensic Psychology with Magna Cum Laude honors from the City University of New York – CUNY.

 

During her last years of school at CUNY, Ms. Espinosa began working in the nonprofit sector, including the Latina Institute. Before graduating, she spent a year abroad at the University of Paris studying French. Upon her return to New York she began to work for the suicide prevention program, Life is Precious, where she had the opportunity to counsel Latina adolescents who suffered from depression and suicidal ideations.

 

During the course of her service work she became more aware of the inequalities that marginalized populations, such as immigrants and women, faced every day in the United States and around the world. Her wish to empower others led her to learn about amazing organizations around the world that work to protect and defend human rights. Her experiences in the nonprofit sector helped her understand the disadvantages that her community experiences every day and gave her the opportunity to create changes that can help Latino families live more positive lives. In 2010, Ms. Espinosa decided to pursue a second degree in public service to further support her community.

 

In May of 2013 Ms. Espinosa received her second Master’s degree in Public Administration with an international specialization from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. She also completed the Professional Development Program, Managing Yourself and Leading Others, from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education in August, 2013. 

 

Ms. Espinosa currently devotes her time to her very own brainchild, the Latinas On the Verge of Excellence – L.O.V.E. Mentoring Program. She created this program with the goal to support and empower young Latinas to strive in school, and ultimately increase high school graduation rates, college enrollment, and healthy lives among young Latinas.

 

Ms. Espinosa is constantly striving to set new standards of personal, professional, and academic excellence, while never forgetting to honor her Latin roots and giving back to her community. She has always believed in justice and fairness, and that love and compassion need to be part of the practice of justice. 

 

Speaking Topics:

• How to discover your passion and create a life doing what you love 

• How to maximize all the resources your school has to offer to develop your passion

• How to identify and develop the best network in order to accomplish your goals