Inspired by Loss and Love, Wanda Completes Her Bachelor's Degree
Puerto Rico has over 270 miles of beautiful Caribbean coastline, a tropical climate, and crystal-clear waters; making it a paradise for locals and visitors. Inside its rich cultural heritage = a fusion of Spanish, African, and indigenous TaÍno roots – there is a strong sense of family, generosity, and warmth in the community.
Wanda Castillo-Diaz was born 20 minutes from San Juan in Trujillo Alto and her approach to life, likely influenced from her early years in Puerto Rico, has shaped her sense of community.
“Puerto Rico is a like a large family where people genuinely care about one another. Being Puerto Rican means that I love deeply, ear yummy food, and am humble.”
Despite the beauty of the island and the love of her family, Wanda had to grow up quickly. Remarkably, she was a single mother at 16 years old, married at age 17, and then got her GED. By the age of 26, she managed a household with six children while also working to help support her family.
“It wasn’t easy and we had to hustle to make it all work. But I don't regret having children at such a young age. I can now spend quality time with my six children and fifteen grandchildren. Family is one of the things I love most in life.”
The economy of Puerto Rico is mainly driven by manufacturing, the service industry, and tourism and there is stark contrast today between the median household income in Puerto Rico ($21,967), nationally in the U.S. ($69,021), and in New Hampshire ($83,449), Wanda’s home state.
As a young mother, Wanda worked several jobs (as a collections agent, assembler, cleaner) trying to make ends meet. A search for better job prospects caused Wanda and her husband, Irvin, to leave Puerto Rico in hope of improving their family’s prospects.
Move to the Mainland
Following a trip to visit with friends in New Hampshire, Wanda’s entire family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, including her mother, her three siblings and their families, an aunt, and her children and their families.
Once she moved to New Hampshire, she served as a volunteer interpreter, helping family members and friends connect with essential community services. Wanda discovered a passion for helping others navigate complex systems. She treasured helping people feel more comfortable and confident in their new environment.
“I would connect with others because I shared many of their life experiences. I managed to live ‘the American dream’ despite some obstacles, and I am grateful for it. Being one of the fortunate few, I was able to overcome the expectations and statistics because of my mentors and role models.”
While providing interpretation for relatives and friends, she established herself as a leader in the Latino community. She built a strong foundation of trust as she worked to ensure the health and well-being of her neighbors and community members. Again, she found herself in a variety of jobs that aligned with her passion for health, including working as an EKG technician, lactation counselor, doula, and mental health support worker.
She was soon recognized as an advocate for more inclusive policies and support services which, combined with her direct care experience, led to the opportunity for training to become a community health worker. She worked in an HIV Prevention Program, as a home visitor for the Maternal Child Health program and as a Peer Educator with the City of Manchester Health Department.
Established in 1839, the City of Manchester Health Department focuses on three critical areas of public health: protection, prevention, and promotion. Wanda has been involved in every aspect of its mission.
Addressing Critical Needs
Today, Wanda is on the frontlines of public health. She serves as the Community Health Worker Supervisor. She supports staff in resident case management and advocacy, connection to integrated health care, basic needs problem solving, violence interruption, and community engagement.
From her experience, Wanda sees clearly the biggest challenges in public health in Manchester. These issues include a lack of accessible support for substance use and substance use disorders and recovery, a lack of safe, affordable housing and family-sustaining jobs and wages to thrive, and racial disparities in health, education, and access to resources and services.
But it is the opportunities for positive change that motivate her.
“I always look forward to getting up in the morning and heading to work. Although typically when I meet someone for the first time, they are going through a crisis, being able to assist people is one of the things I value most in life.”
She sees great opportunity for strong, social service and grassroots non-profit organizations to lead community-based social determinants of health work. She imagines greater alignment between efforts to truly leverage the community assets present in the Manchester community, and believes strongly that new and increased investment in Manchester by the federal government may support planning and infrastructure targeted to those most in need.
Wanda’s “Why”
Wanda graduated in June 2023 with her B.S. in Psychology and minor in Addictions Studies. She participated in a program associated with Network4Health, an organization that provides scholarships aimed at strengthening the workforce within human services and behavioral health.
Like most adult students, Wanda was compelled to return to college to advance her skills and achieve more specialized knowledge. Her motivation was even more complex and highly personal.
She describes that she always wanted to study Psychology to learn more about the complicated connections between human behavior and the environment in which we live. She wanted to understand more about how culture affects us, drives us, and how our personalities affect our behavior.
“Psychology allows us to gain greater understanding of human behavior and mental processes to better comprehend how people think, act, and feel. Studying psychology has helped me to better understand those around me.”
The decision to focus on the Addiction Studies concentration was personal. Her son, José, struggled with substance use disorder, so she sought a complete understanding of the disease to support her son.
“It was important for me to learn about this topic and how addiction works in the brain. This allows me not to become an enabler and helped me to accept that my son was struggling with addiction. I wanted to understand what he was going through without judgment.”
After being sober for five years, Wanda tragically lost José to an accidental overdose after he relapsed. He was a humble and respectful son and father who was known among friends and family for his generous nature. Like his mom, he was always willing and eager to help others in need.
“Some people still have the idea that drug users should be able to simply stop using drugs if they want to change their behavior. Many of us are unaware of the ways in which drugs alter the brain to encourage compulsive drug use. We erroneously see drug usage and addiction as purely a societal issue. From my college course, Understanding the Disease Model of Addictions, I now fully understand addiction is a chronic brain disorder that alters the way the brain is built and functions.”
What’s Next?
As Wanda contemplates her goals, in the near term, she plans to earn a master’s degree in public health, continue to volunteer with organizations dearest to her including Centro Latino de NH, Endowment for Health, and the Conservation Law Foundation, and spend time with her family. Long term, she imagines returning permanently to her beautiful island of Puerto Rico.
Finish Your Degree!