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Name: Dr. Felipe Mercado
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Social Work
Academic Degree(s):

• Bachelors in Social Work, Fresno State
• Masters in Social Work, Fresno State
• Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration, Fresno State

How long have you worked at Fresno State and which offices have you worked in?
I have worked here since October 2021. I started working at Kremen as the coordinator of clinical practice and professor of residence for the Madera Residency Teacher Program, and I moved to the College of Human and Health Services to become an assistant professor in August 2022.

Are you a Valley native? If not, what brought you to the area? And Fresno State.
I'm proud to say that I come from Sanger, where my experiences growing up have shaped my passion for helping our youth thrive. Despite facing homelessness and being kicked out of school several times, I never lost sight of my goal to make a positive impact on my community. As a graduate of the social work and education and leadership programs, I have gained the skills and knowledge necessary to bridge the gap between theory and practice. I believe that compassion and responsiveness are critical qualities for professionals in these fields, and I am committed to promoting these values in my work. My personal journey has made me acutely aware of the challenges facing our youth, and I am dedicated to empowering them to reach their full potential. I am excited to continue advocating for more compassionate and effective approaches to education and social work, and I believe that my experiences and training make me uniquely qualified for this important work.

Are you a Bulldog family with generations of Bulldog graduates or current students?
I am the first in my family to graduate from college and earn a degree.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career?
I have been fortunate to have some truly exceptional mentors throughout my academic and professional journey. Dr. Virginia Hernandez and Dr. Christina Luna, both from Fresno State, have been instrumental in shaping my worldview and guiding me towards success. Their wisdom and insights have been invaluable to me, and I am deeply grateful for their mentorship.

In addition to these two remarkable women, I have also had the privilege of working with other incredible mentors, including Dr. Ken Magdaleno, Dr. Christian Wandeler and president of Fresno City Robert Pimentel. These individuals have offered me unique perspectives and insights that have helped me to make well-informed decisions and navigate complex challenges. Through their guidance and support, I have gained the confidence and knowledge necessary to achieve my goals and make a meaningful impact in my field. I am proud to have had such outstanding mentors, and I hope to pay forward their generosity by supporting and inspiring others on their own journeys of growth and development.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it.
Our social work department is embarking on an exciting journey to take our students and community to new heights. With a strong commitment to building lasting relationships with our community, we are poised to bring cutting-edge knowledge and trends to our students. As a team, we have collaborated tirelessly to develop dynamic topics and innovative approaches to ensure that our students are fully equipped to succeed in their careers.

Our department is passionate about providing the highest quality education and training to our students, and we are determined to establish ourselves as one of the top social work programs in the nation. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to serving our community and empowering those who need it most. We believe that by fostering a culture of excellence and inclusivity, we can create meaningful change and make a positive impact in the world. I am honored to be a part of this incredible team and excited for what the future holds as we continue to lead the way in social work education.

What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
My most notable accomplishment in the field was working as a MTSS coordinator and principal at West Fresno Elementary School. Artie Padilla and I spearheaded an initiative to promote the new Cradle to Career framework in West Fresno. By bringing together key stakeholders such as the chief of police, community leaders, business owners, mental health professionals, parents, and other important members of the community, we aimed to create a community of care approach for our students and families, both inside and outside of school hours.

Our efforts included increasing policing, sidewalks and fog lights for pedestrians, and community events that engaged families while providing them with essential resources and knowledge. To tackle food insecurity, I teamed up with the Community Food Banks to give away food to our students, ensuring they had the nourishment they needed to thrive. We also provided cooking and fitness classes to families to increase their connection and overall health. In addition, Rochelle Martinez Cant, marketing manager for Paul Mitchell, generously provided haircuts to the community twice a year, which greatly improved the students' self-esteem and sense of belonging. To further support the community and become more responsive to the intergenerational trauma and post day trauma that comes from poverty and being of color, we brought in Camarona Health, Comprehensive Youth Services, and hired full-time social and emotional (trauma-informed) support for students and families during the day and beyond.

During my time here, I also supervised social work interns, ensuring that our efforts continued to have a positive impact. This was important because as a social worker who was now a principal, I was able to fuse both my professions together and work with others to support the community in a more informed and intentional way that had not been done before, as well as add to the conversation of what best practice is and how we should be teaching our educators, social workers, and other helping professionals enter the field in our present day climate. Overall, through these efforts, we were able to establish a strong sense of community and care, which positively impacted the lives of our students, their families, and our school culture.

What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
My passion as a social worker, counselor, and educational leader is to promote the development of a culturally, linguistically, and healing-responsive mental health system that transcends national borders. My approach centers on a thorough understanding of the systemic oppression that has historically perpetuated poor mental health outcomes, particularly for people of color and those living in poverty within Western societies. I contend that traditional clinical training tends to focus on categorizing individuals and designing treatment regimens to address their immediate symptoms, rather than recognizing and addressing the underlying environmental and historical conditions that have given rise to these symptoms.

As a result, this fuels my passion to reshape the mental health landscape in my field and beyond by advocating for a more holistic and contextually informed approach that situates individuals' symptoms within a broader social and historical framework. Through this work, my aim is to promote greater awareness and understanding of the role that culture, language, and healing practices can play in supporting mental health and well-being, while simultaneously challenging oppressive systems that perpetuate mental health disparities.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job?
During my time as a vice principal, I faced a health scare that required me to be rushed to the hospital. This experience taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of work-life balance and self-care. While I've always been dedicated to my work and passionate about helping my students and community, I realized that I had been neglecting my own health and my relationships with my family. Since then, I've made a conscious effort to prioritize self-care, which includes spending quality time with my loved ones, exploring nature, and nurturing my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

I firmly believe that in order to be the best version of myself and make a positive impact on my community, I must first take care of myself. While I'm still working on finding that perfect balance, this experience has allowed me to become a better leader and advocate for work-life balance. I'm committed to creating a healthy and supportive work environment for my team, as well as encouraging my students and community to prioritize their own well-being. Ultimately, this experience has taught me that in order to be truly effective in my work and in my life, I must first take care of myself, so I can take care of those around me more effectively.

What is a memorable moment you had in class?
To share my passion for mental health advocacy and community engagement with my students through the ABC30 documentary, "A Critical State of Mind: a look into California’s Mental Health." The news actually came into the class and recorded one of our sessions as we discussed integrated practice in social work. This was a powerful moment for us all, as it provided a real-world example of the work we do in the classroom and the impact we can make on the world around us. As we recorded the documentary in my SWRK 264 class during the fall 2022, my students were able to witness firsthand how their education and training could translate into real-world action.

This experience was both humbling and inspiring, as we worked together to shed light on the critical issues facing our community and identify actionable steps to address them. I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in this important project and hope that it serves as a catalyst for continued conversation and action around mental health advocacy and community engagement. I believe that together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around us and create a brighter, more equitable future for all.

What is your teaching style?
As an educator, my goal is to create a learning experience that is both student-centered and community-focused. I firmly believe that equity and social justice must be more than just words, they must be actionable steps that are reflected in every aspect of our work. To achieve this, I make it a priority to connect with my students and understand their unique needs, backgrounds, and interests. I regularly conduct polls and surveys to gauge their feedback and ensure that my instruction is tailored to their experiences and perspectives. At the same time, I strive to expose my students to the realities of the profession and equip them with the skills they need to be successful in the field. I bring a wealth of experiences to the classroom, drawing on my background as a social worker, counselor, culture broker, principal, researcher, program evaluator, coach, and consultant to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

In addition to diverse instructional strategies, I also do all I can to create safe spaces for real dialogue and healing, encouraging my students to engage in meaningful conversations about the issues that matter most and how we as a profession and individual can positively navigate these challenges. By illuminating the actionable steps along with the practical application necessary to achieve equity and social justice, I hope to inspire my students to become agents of change and make a positive impact in their communities and organizations.

What is your favorite quote or saying?
“Focus on making music instead of performing for applause.” -Susan David

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
My spare time consists of many days of watching my children play soccer and traveling from one city to the next on the weekend. They play year round. For fun, I like to hike, garden, play basketball, listen to music, clean the yard, play with my dogs and cats, and paint.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
Something that is new is the release and revision of my book, "A Journey to Compassion: Standing Firm in the Face of Pain," which was republished on Feb. 24. This book is very personal to me as it honors the experiences of youth of color and poverty in our Central Valley, and is inspired by the life of my youngest brother, Sammy, who was tragically murdered and missing for six months. Through my book, I share my own journey to compassion and offer practical advice and strategies for readers to cultivate compassion in their own lives.

But the heart of the book is my story: a life path that included poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and time in juvenile hall. By sharing this story with compassion and understanding, I hope to inspire readers to see the humanity and potential in all youth, regardless of their circumstances. My book is a tribute to my brother's life and a message of hope for all those who may be struggling. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my story, and I hope that readers will find comfort, inspiration, and hope in its pages.