Hello, my name is Tana Nez. I am from Farmington, New Mexico. I was born and raised here, and I lived here all my life. I am a part-time student at San Juan College, and I work full time at a middle school as a cashier/cafeteria staff. I am pursuing my associate’s degree in psychology.

I attended college right after high school and I started to pursue a degree in nursing and then I changed my mind and wanted to be a dental hygienist. I changed my mind again after that and wanted to be a surgical technician. I started pursuing the degree to become a surgical technician but then I was basically forced to switch majors again because I developed an autoimmune condition in the fall of 2024 that affects my capabilities and therefore, I realized that I couldn’t use my hands as well in the field that I wanted to pursue. I searched and searched again for something else of interest, and I have always felt the need to help people in ways of listening and supporting. That’s when I looked more into the field of psychology.

The areas of interest in psychology are mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, social work and family support. My goal is to be part of a team who helps individuals overcome addiction and achieve long term recovery. I would like to help support clients in rebuilding their lives and improve relationships with family members.

Life has not always been so fair to me along my journey. I lost an older brother of mine as I was still finding my way as a young adult. He passed away in 2013; he had a problem with alcohol and that is part of the reason why he isn’t here anymore. His death happened on the Navajo Nation reservation and there was an FBI investigation involved. Still to this day, my family doesn’t know exactly what happened to him and the case was closed. I had just graduated high school two years prior, and I was in college courses at the time. He had high hopes for me, always believed in me, and was proud to say that his sister was a college student.

The following year, my father had an accident, where he fell and hit his head. This was also alcohol related. His injury resulted in emergency brain surgery because of bleeding in his brain and that left him with dementia. I took time off from college and time off from work to help care for my father.

In 2017, my father was stable enough and I was able to get a job again. That’s when I got my job with Farmington Schools, and I have been with them ever since. I enjoy my job as a “lunch lady” it’s simple, fun, it has its rewards by being able to interact with the kids and they keep the weeks going. I tell people I have one of those jobs where I get up in the morning and I don’t mind going to work. It’s also a bonus being off on weekends and getting long holiday breaks.

In 2021, tables turned again and I almost lost my younger brother due to an alcohol addiction. Since then, he’s been on his journey with sobriety and I couldn’t be more proud of him. I have been in and out of college since my father’s recovery and I took a long gap and recently came back in 2023 to finish my degree. I wish I didn’t wait so long to come back and finish what I started. I had another loss in 2022; this time it was my spouse. His death was in result of alcohol misuse as well and underlying health conditions. We were together for close to 13 years. Since then, I have made a choice to abstain from alcohol. I have been sober for over four years and I plan to keep it that way. My immediate family has also made the decision to not use alcohol as well. After the loss of my spouse, I needed to keep my mind occupied. That’s when I decided it was time for me to return to school. I am determined to finish this time and I will.

Having this loss was a major event that shaped me as a person. This made me have a new outlook on life and it opened my eyes to appreciate all the little things that we miss on a daily basis. Three of my top strengths are appreciation, helpfulness, and respect. I understand the value and worth of people’s efforts. One simple gesture of being helpful can go a long way. I like to believe that one act of kindness can keep it paying forward. Whether it’s as easy as giving a smile to a stranger, holding the door for someone, or doing a good deed when no one is looking. I am a strong believer in respect. Rules and regulations are necessary and are designed to keep us well and safe.

I see myself utilizing these strengths and values in my educational journey, career and future in the way we treat people. Appreciation, helpfulness, and respect are all vital to society. In my future career in substance abuse, using these three values can build trust, help clients feel safe, and acknowledging respect for the individual will allow room for personal growth.

I have not had the easiest time on this journey. Going through the losses that I have has been very challenging. Especially when my health condition steps in the way of my success. I know how easy it is to give up and think the worst. Life is hard, and we shouldn’t have to do it alone. I developed a strength that I can share with individuals who have gone through loss and addiction. My plan is to use my experiences and knowledge to aid in the support system of recovery and rebuilding a stronger, stable life.

After living through my experiences and gaining skills and knowledge in my journey, I have developed a broader understanding of what it takes to become psychologically literate. I am ready to promote positive change in my life and my community with the resources that I’ve studied and learned.