A bit about Rosa: Rosa has been working with us to varying degrees since 2019, and we're excited to have her officially join our team full-time as our program manager!! Rosa was first diagnosed with celiac disease at just 18 months old and has since been diagnosed with IBD, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ADHD, and other chronic conditions. Rosa is based in northern California, where they earned their Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of California, Berkeley. With her extensive experience in patient advocacy and engagement, combined with her lived experiences, Rosa is helping us to expand our programs, reach, and support for young adult patients!!
Favorite hobby/activity outside of advocacy?
I’m very into plants and animals, so I love gardening, snuggling with my senior dog Osita, and learning silly plant/animal facts. 🌱 I also like games and doing little crafts, when I have the energy!
What’s your go-to song when you need a mood boost OR do you a favorite song that you could listen to on repeat and it would never get old?
I have too many favorites to choose, but I love any/all songs by Janelle Monae or Lil Nas X (I also have a soft spot for 2010’s pop-punk, like Panic! At the Disco or Fall Out Boy 😂).
How has your experience growing up with multiple chronic conditions shaped your personal and professional goals?
I was diagnosed with my first autoimmune condition when I was a year and a half old, but really began struggling during my early teen years as more health issues popped up and I got sicker and sicker. I missed a LOT of middle and high school, since I was either too sick to leave the house or was in the hospital. I was really afraid to share about my health issues with any of my peers – I didn’t know anyone my age dealing with chronic illness, so I just assumed no one would understand. So I just didn’t talk about it, and tried to hide it so I could pretend I wasn’t struggling.
As a result, I felt extremely isolated as a teenager and young adult. It wasn’t until college (HUGE credit to Audre Lorde’s essays/poems “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” and “A Litany for Survival”), when I slowly started to share little pieces about my experiences with chronic illness, that I realized how much connection and community mattered.
Seeking out community - and quickly realizing that SO MANY other patients felt the same way as I did - made me want to do something with my experiences, and try to change things. Getting involved in advocacy work completely changed my life, and taught me that while self-care is important, community care is what truly sustains us. Being able to do work that increases support, care, and community (things that younger Rosa definitely needed!) not only feels in line with my goals, but is also incredibly healing for me!
What has inspired you to work with GP and join the team full-time?
I think my biggest motivator is the powerful feeling of working alongside other young adults with chronic health conditions/disabilities. Being around people who just get it and share a deep passion for change and advocacy is incredibly energizing for me. I love getting to connect with other YA patients through our peer groups and programs, and feel so lucky to hear so many other patients’ stories and wisdom. 🙂