October 2 with Fatima Roldan (South Novato)
“Following what I love gets me where I am.”
Fatima Roldan spoke with me at the South Novato Library branch about what it means to be a Program Coordinator in the County of Marin Probation Department as well as a member of the North Bay Latinx community. Over the course of our hour together, she spoke of growing up, what sh
e has learned in her life that speaks to the work with youth she does today, and her drive. More than once, she reiterated how important it is to find work that fuels her purpose, not her paycheck.
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Roldan is the first of eight children to Mexican parents and is first generation. Through her growing up, Roldan’s parents relied upon her to be an example and guide for her younger siblings. Instead of being resentful of a lost childhood, she voiced gratitude for having the opportunity to become someone younger people could count on and look up to. In fact, she considers this experience a large reason why she works as a mentor to youth today.
“I enjoy being there for people and being a support.”
However, Roldan is more than simply a supportive figure. She is a motivator. She uses her own life lessons to inspire those she meets in her work.
One main motivational lesson she offers to youth is that to know what they are capable of they first have to try.
It wasn’t until college at University of California – Riverside that Roldan gave herself permission to try a sport that she always wanted to: boxing. When asked what took her until then, she said that it had to do with where she came from and the perspectives her family had about gender roles. Men, not women, were boxers. This notion never sat right with her.
Little by little, she tried experiences she had denied herself previously, and, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, found herself reflecting and asking what sort of person she wanted to be. She wanted to be a person who put herself first, took risks, and tried new things. Upon her return to the on-campus classroom, she enrolled in an economics class taught by a professor who was also a boxing coach. When he encouraged students to visit the gym, she took it as a sign, enrolled, and loved it.
“Go for it. Just do it,” she says to youth. “¡Eres poderoso/a!”
Graduating with a degree in psychology, Roldan moved back to her hometown and found a job at Verity – Sonoma County Rape Crisis, Trauma & Healing Center where she quickly gained experience working with youth, healthcare workers, and incarcerated individuals. There, as a bilingual specialist, she advocated for increased programs related to consent in schools in Roseland and other predominantly Latinx Santa Rosa neighborhoods. Roldan said that they never talked about consent growing up and knew from experience that these communities perhaps needed to have the conversations the most. Those conversations often needed to occur in Spanish, not English. “You don’t take an English-language class and learn about human trafficking,” she said. In order to truly serve and educate individuals in such tough subjects, she says that their first language is often the best.
No matter what the subject matter, she reminds youth that they are capable, but they have to try to know the extent of their abilities. One day, while leading a workshop in career preparedness, a youth approached her after the meeting and asked for additional help and guidance. “That might not sound like a big deal,” she said, “but [his asking for more help] is everything.” The youth was taking charge of his education and destiny.
“I like to empower youth to use their voice and know what that looks and feels like.”
Her current work in the Probation Department as a Program Coordinator offers her a central role in the Career Explorers education program. Through the program, youth aged 15-22 intern within various departments across the County of Marin as well as non-profit and educational partners beyond in order to prepare them for working life, the program’s main goal. However, Roldan stresses that Career Explorers is not about “busy” work. Instead, the program strives to offer rewarding on-the-job scenarios that place youth at the center of initiatives that inspire them. While some internship positions are alongside professionals with the District Attorney’s Office or the Marin County Free Library, youth also have the opportunity to work with Parks & Rec and other departments away from traditional offices.
Roldan joined the team prior to the summer 2024 program. After receiving two-hundred thirty applications (their largest number yet), they placed seventy-five youth in internships. What is particularly rewarding for Roldan is that the majority of participating youth came from backgrounds described as having at least one employment barrier such as living in at-risk communities, being unhoused, or having individualized education plans. Over the summer, the youth participated in workshops such as interview prep, resume writing, and other job readiness workshops. Roldan got to know them and witnessed their progress. Their communication skills in writing and over email improved, and they learned tangible job skills like Microsoft Excel and how to fill in a timesheet; but perhaps most important of all, she saw so many of them with improved confidence.
“And I guess that goes back to my goal: to empower people. I have to have a purpose to go to work every day. I love it.”
No matter whether leading workshops on consent or resume writing, Roldan’s goal is to inspire and empower youth. She looks forward to the future of Career Explorers and her work as a mentor in the Probation Department.
Fatima Roldan is the Program Coordinator at the Marin County Probation Department. She focuses on providing career opportunities to high-risk youth in the county. She facilitates job readiness workshops, examples of which include resume writing, interview preparation, and much more. She believes that providing this knowledge to all youth should be essential. In her free time she enjoys hiking and cooking.
Fatima Roldan es la coordinadora de programas en el departamento de Libertad Condicional de el condado de Marin. Ella se centra en brindar oportunidades profesionales a los jovenos de alto riesgo en el condado. Facilita talleres de preparacion para el trabajo, ejemplos, incluyen la redaccion de curriculos, preparacion de entrevistas y mucho mas. Ella cree que proporcionar este conocimiento a todos los Jovenes deberia ser esencial. En su tiempo libre le gusta salir a caminar y cocinar.
Contributed by Sarah Broderick. Sarah is a contingent-hire Community Library Specialist. Outside of MCFL, she works as a writer and editor.
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