“My biggest motivation is to advocate for my community.”

When fourteen-year-old Ivana Hernández first arrived from Honduras, she barely spoke English. Each school day felt harder than the last, but she was determined. By the end of high school, not only had she mastered the language, but she also graduated in the top 20 of her class. That triumph—born from persistence and community support—set her on a path to help students who also face invisible barriers in the classroom and the world.

A Citizen with an Immigrant Story

Born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Honduras, Ivana was only two months old when her family decided to move back to their home country. She grew up there without knowing she was a citizen until she was 14, and they migrated back and settled in Las Vegas.

“I didn’t know anything about the country and its culture, and it was challenging,” Ivana shared. 

Ivana would eventually assimilate, but she still lacked a sense of belonging. This led her to co-found the student organization of Latinos at the Basic Academy of International Studies - her first step on the path of advocacy. 

“We needed the community, and we took the initiative to create one for ourselves,” she stated. 

Although she didn’t know it then, this would shape her decision to become a clinical mental health counselor, focusing on adolescents and Latinx English language learners. 

Choosing Compassionate Care

Crediting her choice to pursue higher education to her participation in the Trio Upward Bound program, Ivana initially pursued pre-med at UNLV, but soon, she found herself craving more. 

“I wanted to have a deeper connection with people.”

Ivana switched her major to psychology, but she still had no clear idea of her ideal career in behavioral healthcare.

A new direction came during the three years she worked as an Engelstad Scholar Intern at Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada. There, her work focused on advocacy for the Latinx population. Thereafter, she had a full-circle moment working as an advisor with the TRIO Student Support Services program. In that role, she provided mentorship and academic guidance for first-generation students and high schoolers. 

“That’s when I realized I want to work in my community, and I wanted to do this in a clinically informed way,” she said. 

Seeking a holistic and multicultural approach to providing one-on-one care for adolescents and young adults, Ivana officially enrolled in the clinical mental health counseling master’s program while working as a coordinator at GEAR UP. 

EXHALE: A Platform for Change

Ivana’s career journey took another defining turn when she got accepted into the inaugural cohort of the Expanding School-Based Mental Health Services Scholars program, also known as Project EXHALE. Since most of her professional experience has been in school-based settings, Ivana was excited for the opportunity. 

“Ivana’s desire to learn more about school-based mental health, and her passion for serving clients and their families in Las Vegas, made her an excellent fit for the inaugural cohort,” said Heather Dahl-Jacinto, the Project EXHALE coordinator. 

The new program is a partnership between UNLV, the Clark County School District (CCSD), and the City of Las Vegas. It creates a vital opportunity to increase access to mental health care for local students, particularly at the elementary (K–5) level, where early intervention lays the foundation for lifelong mental well-being and academic success.

“EXHALE builds a bridge for us as clinical mental health counselors to be able to work in school settings,” Ivana said.  

By expanding and diversifying Nevada’s school-based mental health workforce, they are preparing future clinical mental health counselors to deliver trauma-informed, culturally responsive care to students and families. EXHALE scholars receive professional development training and advanced education in school-based mental health services. They would also complete internships in Ward 1 Schools, where they would provide mental health support to K-12 students.

“We’re providing support and resources that students would otherwise have to leave school to receive, often facing multiple barriers in the process,” Heather shared.  

Vision for School Mental Health Counseling

For Ivana, providing advocacy-driven care transforms her resilience into purpose. Her long-term vision includes staying in Las Vegas and strengthening the mental health workforce in the Valley. 

“I think one of the best things I can do is stay here and provide my services to the community,” she remarked. 

Envisioning herself in the near future, Ivana hopes to provide her services in Spanish, help students find the resources and tools they need to succeed, and advocate for policies that make mental health care more accessible and culturally responsive. She also wants to inspire more students to enter the counseling profession.

“These kids need us.”

Written by Sakinah Musa.