A strong network of meaningful support started with one first-generation Latina’s Instagram page.
Wellness with Latinas (WWL) was established last Spring at the University of Washington (UW) and is dedicated to supporting Latinas with mental health issues and/or generational trauma.
Alicia Araiza, the founder and president of WWL, was curious whether other students felt the same weight of cultural expectations from her Latino community, including the pressure to carry out traditional roles.
In hopes of encountering other like-minded individuals, Araiza started an Instagram page with the handle Wellness with Latinas.
It gained traction enough that Araiza applied for and received approval as a registered student organization (RSO) in November 2024. The organization now has over 300 Instagram followers.
An RSO is a club created by UW students through the Student Activities Office. The UW supports student organizations by offering funding sources, departmental resources, and access to a faculty adviser.
“Our mission is to foster a strong and supportive community for Latina women,” Araiza said.“We aim to create a warm and welcoming space for all Latina women who are seeking help and healing and for allies to show support.”
Araiza said WWL was built on three pillars: courage, compassion, and connection.
“Being human is being courageous,” Araiza said. “Having a little more compassion allows us to connect with others and better empathize with their experiences,” she added. “I believe that our bodies are nurtured and grown and biologically created for connection. Connection is what brings family and community.”
Based on these pillars, the student organization hosts Wellness Wednesdays, workshops that foster a safe space for Latinas to connect.
They are held every other Wednesday and include discussions on topics such as boundaries, politics, and more.
Araiza emphasizes that anybody is welcome to join and attend, whether they are seeking healing or interested in learning how to support Latina women in their lives.
“Although we may come from different parts of Mexico, Latin America, or Spain, all of us have an unspoken sisterhood that ties us together,” Araiza said. “All of the challenges we face together and all of the pedestals we have been put on, brings us together.”
Listen to Alicia Araiza, founder and president of WWL, speak about confronting generational trauma.
Natalie Alatorre, the WWL public relations chair, said one of the most significant topics of discussion is the pressures to fulfill traditional gender roles, such as being a caregiver.
Last year, Alatorre experienced feelings of isolation due to college transition and was looking to find community on campus.
As a first-year student, Alatorre said she was eager to find a way to get involved on campus that incorporated her passion for psychology and mental health.
“I felt kind of stuck,” she said. “I was interested in finding something that I could put a lot into and get a lot out of.”
She came across the WWL page on Instagram, was interested in learning more about the mental health resources offered at UW, and applied to become a member.
A Pew Research study shows that 67% of younger Latinas, aged 18-29, feel a great deal of pressure to get married and have children, while 77% of those also face pressure to handle household tasks.
“There are these expectations to be a caregiver and mother as a woman, which really impacts the way individuals think about one another and themselves,” said Aliah Salas, the WWL vice president.
Alatorre described that these expectations may also lead Latinas to suppress their emotions to uphold their roles.
“These challenges are things we really try to work on in WWL,” Alatorre said. “I have tried to learn and teach others around me that it is ok to have emotions. It’s about changing the cycle.”
WWL offers a space for members to share with one another, without the fear of judgment.
“The parents of our parents had the exact same expectations from the get-go, and it is now up to us to stop that trauma,” said Araiza. “It’s about breaking through that shield and realizing that talking about these things does not mean you are defeated or weak or less than or unworthy — in fact it means the opposite.”
WWL is planning several projects, including creating wellness baskets for students, inviting experts to talk at events, purchasing workbooks for members to self-reflect, and starting their own philanthropy to support mental health awareness organizations.
In the meantime, Araiza hopes the organization continues to reach new and current students.
WWL provides resources via its Instagram page, including easy meal-prep ideas and studying tips to help students maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“Knowledge is power,” Salas said. “I just want people to know that there are people out here for them, and they are not alone.”
Mina Sakay is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communication, with a minor in Business. As a Seattle native, Mina is committed to connecting with local communities and highlighting diverse voices.