(Published March 9, 2020)
Fanny Fernandez was born in Brownsville, Texas. At that time, her father, Valentin Gonzalez, was having difficulty finding employment in Brownsville. He needed to find employment so he was not a public charge while pursuing his residency. So as a result, the family left to Fennville, Michigan. Fanny was only a few months old at this time. Growing up there were struggles. There was times Fanny’s parents worked separate shifts, multiple jobs, including working in the fields. Fanny’s mother, Nancy Gonzalez, would struggle many times with translation/interpretation services when meeting her and her family’s needs. This was a challenge she took head on by learning English and earning her GED.
Fanny’s parents always instilled the importance of education and learning Spanish. So one day “no nos matemos trabajando”. Every year they would visit family in H. Matamoros, Tamaulipas. It was important for her parents that their children could communicate with family. This made it possible for Fanny to learn and experience the importance of family and culture.
As Fanny grew-up, she knew that she wanted to be in a helping profession. To be able to reach the Hispanic community and educate them on resources and their rights. Fanny was a recipient of the Incentive Scholarship through Western Michigan University. She had initially thought of completing a degree in Nursing. After an honest conversation with her academic counselor. She changed her Major. To be able to complete a degree before the scholarship was up. Fanny completed a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Services and a Minor in Social work. She completed her Internship at the Hispanic American Council, now known as El Concilio. This was her first introduction to case management services. She has now been with the YWCA Kalamazoo for over 4 years. She started as the Bilingual Advocate and is currently the Human Trafficking Intensive Case Manager.
Fanny is very thankful of each and every person that she has encountered in life. Many have supported while others have only made her stronger.
Fun Fact: Fanny can draw!
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