By Kellie Britch, College of Arts and Sciences
Sylvia Herbozo, a USF alum and first-generation Peruvian American, is creating a network that provides the kind of support she received early in her psychology career. The nonprofit, Psicólogos Latinos Avanzando Nuestros Servicios (PLANS), was born from a passion for mentorship and a need for more Spanish-speaking Latino psychologists.
Her nonprofit matches Latino psychology students with Latino mentors in the field who help them strengthen their resumes, choose the right doctoral program and navigate any systemic issues they may face along the way.
“I earned my doctorate specifically to mentor the next generation of psychologists,” said Herbozo, who graduated from the Department of Psychology in 2008.
¿Hablas Espanol?
About a decade into her career, Herbozo changed career paths from tenure-track faculty to clinical faculty when she started working as a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she started receiving a lot of Spanish-speaking patient referrals.
“I couldn’t keep up, so I started to search for other Latino psychologists in Chicago,” Herbozo said. “I found two or three specializing in health psychology. I had never taken the time to look up the statistics, and that’s when I learned that only 8% of psychologists are Latino.”
Suddenly, the pieces fell into place as she reflected on her own experience.
“The point of the nonprofit is to change this statistic,” said Herbozo, who now serves as the director of bariatric psychology at the Rush University Medical Center. “Not just in classrooms, but in healthcare. Especially in this work, it’s so important that we have less translators in the room while patients are sharing emotional content, sometimes for the first time.”
Launching a support network
In 2020, Herbozo teamed up with fellow Latina psychologist and USF alum, Yasmin Asvat, to create the grassroots initiative that would become PLANS. Their first task? Finding Latino psychologists to serve as mentors for students.
Herbozo and Asvat began by pooling their resources. Together, they knew five Latino clinical psychologists.
Herbozo (left) teamed up with a fellow Latina psychologist and USF alum, Yasmin Asvat, PhD, to start the initiative that would become PLANS.
“I knew we needed more, so I started looking through psychology department directories across the country,” Herbozo said. “I emailed anyone who was identified as Latino to see if they’d like to be involved.
“It was such a beautiful thing. Not only did they say yes, but they would follow it up with how amazing and needed this was for students.”
The USF representation extends beyond Herbozo and Asvat’s role in co-founding the
organization. Two of the original five mentors, Brian Gonazalez and Ariz Rojas, are
also USF alumni who still serve as mentors in the organization today.
PLANS has since grown from five to 42 mentors and has supported more than 130 students.
These days, most mentors hear about the program through word of mouth and reach out
to get involved on their own.
“The mentors are only asked to commit to a year per student, but many of them continue
working with the students well beyond that period,” Herbozo said. “It’s been wonderful
to see.”
Even more impressive than the mentors’ commitment is the success rate of the mentees. As of this year, the program has seen 34 student members make it into clinical or counseling psychology doctoral programs.
Herbozo’s passion for mentorship grew out of her own experience at USF, where she enjoyed the mentorship of Kevin Thompson, a retired professor of psychology, and Vicky Phares, a professor of psychology who served as the director of clinical training while Herbozo was in the program.
“I feel like I gained many things from my time at USF, but what has always stood out to me is how fortunate I was to have amazing mentors,” Herbozo said. “To me, the most important part of grad school is selecting your mentor, and I feel so grateful for mine. Anytime I needed support or any type of assistance, everyone I worked with was always very welcoming, and that matters for you to succeed in grad school.”
Learn more about how you can support PLANS.