Dec. 12, 2024 - A (CSUCI) alumna and current employee is appearing in a major motion picture about
music superstar Jenni Rivera, who succeeded in the male-dominated world of banda, mariachi, and Դǰٱñ genres of regional Mexican music.
STEM Transfer Outreach Coordinator Tatiana Juarez, who graduated with a degree in Health Science, plays young Jenni Rivera in the movie “Jenni,” which was released Friday, Dec. 6 in select theaters and on a bilingual streaming service called ViX.
Juarez, who is part of the first generation in her family to earn a college degree, was born in Ventura and raised in Oxnard. Her parents grew up in the U.S. after being brought here from Mexico as children. Juarez’s mom works as a medical clerk and her dad works a variety of jobs related to construction and architecture.
“They’ve always worked hard to make sure my two siblings and I had a great education and had lots of extracurricular activities,” Juarez said. “If we wanted to try something like sports or pageants, they always said ‘yes.’”
After graduating, Juarez joined the staff at CSUCI and began working with a program called Project AYUDAS, which stands for "Articulating Your Undergraduate Degree & Academic Success in STEM” and is designed to increase the number of Latina/o and low-income students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
“Tati’s story and drive is so inspiring and iconic,” said Student Academic Success & Equity Initiatives (SASEI) Project AYUDAS Director, Sandra Birmingham. “She’s passionate about creating pathways for first-generation and Latinx students like her to succeed in higher education, especially in STEM. Tati’s out there breaking barriers and amplifying voices from underrepr