{"id":1255,"date":"2025-10-06T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/?p=1255"},"modified":"2025-10-07T12:46:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:46:46","slug":"graduate-student-spotlight-tahina-gonzalez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/2025\/10\/06\/graduate-student-spotlight-tahina-gonzalez\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate Student Spotlight: Tahina Gonzalez"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Graduate Student Spotlight<\/p>\n

Meet Tahina Gonzalez<\/span><\/h2>\n

First-gen trailblazer, MSW candidate, and graduate assistant.<\/p>\n

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If there\u2019s one thing you should know about Tahina Gonzalez, it\u2019s that she never sits still for long. A proud first-generation student from Paterson and now a Master of Social Work candidate at 糖心vlog, Tahina thrives on connection, community, and creating spaces where others feel supported \u2014 values that have shaped every step of her journey.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Tahina
Tahina celebrates earning her bachelor\u2019s degree as a first-generation college graduate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Involvement to Impact<\/h3>\n

Tahina\u2019s Montclair story began as an undergraduate in Justice Studies with a minor in Psychology. She made the most of her time here; interning at Deirdre\u2019s House Child Advocacy Center in Morristown, NJ, serving as a tour guide and orientation leader, finding community through Sigma Sigma Sigma National Sorority and connecting with her culture through clubs like the Latin American Student Organization (LASO). All this while commuting from Paterson \u2013 a testament to her drive and time management.<\/p>\n

\n \"Tahina
Tahina leads a campus tour for prospective undergraduate students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, as a graduate student, Tahina is building on that foundation with a focus on school social work. She\u2019s completing her practicum at iLearn Schools, where she supports students\u2019 academic, social, and emotional well-being through check-ins, interventions, and connecting families with resources. And on campus, she\u2019s a Graduate Assistant for First-Generation Initiatives in the Office of Student Belonging, mentoring fellow first-gen students and helping them get involved and thrive. This fall, her team hosted the First-Gen Block Party, a huge success that brought students together to celebrate identity, community, and pride.<\/p>\n

\n \"First-Gen
Tahina and colleagues celebrate first-gen pride and community at the annual Block Party.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Giving Back While Moving Forward<\/h3>\n

As the oldest sibling and self-described \u201cmom\u201d of her friend group, Tahina is the go-to confidant, therapist, and cheerleader for those around her. That same instinct shows up in her professional life too\u2014whether she\u2019s guiding first-gen students toward success or working one-on-one with young people in schools, she leads with empathy and purpose.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Community
Tahina is looking forward to building new connections this semester.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What excites her most about graduate school so far is the chance to form deeper connections, especially with faculty. \u201cThe smaller cohort size makes it easier to build real relationships,\u201d she shared. \u201cSeveral of my professors have taken time to get to know us personally and mentor us, which makes a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that Tahina\u2019s generosity of spirit extends beyond campus, too. Her little sister is now planning to follow in her footsteps and attend college, proof that Tahina\u2019s path is inspiring others in her own family and community.<\/p>\n

\n \"Community
Tahina is lovingly referred to as the “mom” of her friend group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Tahina was one of the winners of our Graduate Assistant Orientation survey this fall, earning $100 in Red Hawk Dollars for sharing her feedback. Your voice matters too\u2014watch for more surveys throughout the year and you could be next on our winners list!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n Nominate a grad for a future spotlight<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us for more student spotlights<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graduate Student Spotlight Meet Tahina Gonzalez First-gen trailblazer, MSW candidate, and graduate assistant. If there\u2019s one thing you should know about Tahina Gonzalez, it\u2019s that she never sits still for long. A proud first-generation student from Paterson and now a Master of Social Work candidate at 糖心vlog, Tahina thrives on connection, community, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":1282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-school-news","category-graduate-student-spotlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1255"}],"version-history":[{"count":69,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1347,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1255\/revisions\/1347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}