Delta College students shared personal stories of trauma and resilience Oct. 15 at the Dreamers Success Center during Pushing Ahead, Living into Legacy: Avanzando el Legado, a wellness event led by Dr. Felipe Mercado.
The program, part of Undocumented Student Action Week, examined how childhood trauma physically impacts the brain and can shape identity and academic performance. Mercado, an assistant professor at California State University, Fresno, and founder of Wise Souls LLC, helps schools and communities build trauma-responsive systems.
Mercado said students with adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or incarcerated family members, have a 17 percent chance of completing college compared with 70 percent for those without such experiences…