Nadine Quiñonez, M.Ed.

Pronouns: she/her/ella

Nadine Quiñonez, M.Ed is a dedicated advocate who is passionate about social justice and intentionally works toward closing equity gaps. She earned four AA's from Pasadena City College in '20, a BA in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles in '22, and an M.Ed in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs at the University of Southern California in '23 all the while raising her son. She has worked within the area of student support services for about three years and has focused on serving students who have been historically underrepresented. She is happy to be back home, now working as an educator, raising awareness of available mental health resources on UCLA's campus, and enhancing UCLA's community of care.

Favorite self-care practice: Spending quality time with my son, family and friends, going on long drives with good music, and setting boundaries by making sure I have time to rest.

Fun Fact: I graduated high school in three years instead of four. I dropped out of high school junior year, returned the beginning of senior year, and stillgraduated on time. The school counselor said she never saw anyone graduate in three years.

What does wellness mean to you? Wellness to me means that I am okay, I am safe, and I am at peace. In other words, wellness means that even if things are not going as planned, I am content and can continue moving forward without being overwhelmingly affected.

How do you define resilience? I define resilience as the courage and power to stand up for myself and/or others that have been negatively impacted, but firmly believe that folks should not have to be unconditionally resilient without acquiring tangible skills that build resilience. Resilience is not just getting back up again, it is about intentionally seeking resilience building strategies/skills.