{"id":2862,"date":"2019-02-07T12:10:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T18:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forourwellness.org\/?p=2862"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:41:16","slug":"san-diego-student-brings-hope-to-mexican-orphans-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/san-diego-student-brings-hope-to-mexican-orphans-2\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego student brings hope to Mexican orphans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"arianna2.jpeg\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to talk about being the \u201cchange we want to be\u201d in the world, and quite another to actually be that change. Translating good intentions into action is challenging even for the most altruistic of us.<\/p>\n

For 26-year-old Arianna Zabriskie, an M.A. Clinical Psychology (Marital and Family Therapy Specialization) student on The Chicago School’s<\/a>\u00a0San Diego Campus, the change from intent into action happened last year on a visit to an orphanage south of Ensenada in Mexico. The trip was organized by a friend and she decided to go along to learn more about the orphanage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got out of the van and a little boy came up to me, grabbed my hand and led me to this dirt area to dig with him,” Arianna explains. “He didn’t care if I couldn’t communicate he just wanted someone to be there, listen to him, acknowledge him and make him feel important. It was in that moment I realized these children need so much love.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment was a turning point for Arianna \u2013 personally and perhaps even professionally. She and a friend have now partnered to launch a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the children of this and other orphanages in this part of Mexico. Their long-term plans are more ambitious: Coding classes for the older kids to prepare them for life after the orphanage, and the women are particularly focused on \"\"the girls in these orphanages.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the girls who transition out of the orphanages end up pregnant the first year out.\u201d It\u2019s a lack of options, says Arianna, that traps these girls into this cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to advocate for people giving their time to these children more than anything because that is the greatest need \u2013 to be loved and love in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arianna, originally from Basalt, Colorado, says her upbringing sheltered her from connecting directly with the world she is now advocating for.\u00a0 But she expresses only gratitude for what it has taught her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel the most alive – these moments are the most precious moments I have experienced in my life. I have traveled all over the world, lived incredible experiences, but none compare to the joy I feel when helping these children.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Arianna has enlisted the support of the entire San Diego Campus<\/a>, encouraging other students and faculty to support the orphanage. And she\u2019s already planning her next visit to take another shipment of supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cArianna is a mover and a shaker in our field with a kind, generous soul,\u201d says Dr. Randi Cowdery, Ph.D., Asst. Chair\/Assoc. Professor, Marriage, and Family Therapy Program at the San Diego Campus. \u201cShe has always been interested in working internationally with children and families, particularly those in underserved communities. When she first spoke about her trips to the orphanage, she spoke from her heart about wanting to help the children in need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support of the San Diego Campus\u2019 students, faculty and administrators reinforce Arianna\u2019s decision to pursue her education with The Chicago School.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI was so impressed by the cultural awareness and emphasis on diversity. This is something so incredibly important in the world of psychology,\u201d says Arianna.<\/p>\n

And this experience has also reinforced her desire to become a psychologist. Arianna has decided to enroll in The Chicago School\u2019s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program<\/a> once she completes her M.A. degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the number one thing we need in our world is love and connection. I am training to learn how to create space for love and connection in a diverse world. I aim to help people find compassion, explore peace and thrive in hope.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about programs at The Chicago School, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe want to advocate for people giving their time to these children more than anything, because that is the greatest need \u2013 to be loved and love in return.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":2867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[744,1092,512,795,881,894,895,917,965,1005],"coauthors":[1040],"class_list":["post-2862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-our-wellness","tag-arianna-zabriskie","tag-be-more-than","tag-clinical-psychology","tag-dr-randi-cowdery","tag-marital-and-family-therapy","tag-mexico","tag-mft","tag-orphanage","tag-san-diego-campus","tag-underserved-communities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSan Diego student brings hope to Mexican orphans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Arianna, originally from Basalt, Colorado, says her 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