As second year LPC student Trinidi Zuniga listened to the Women’s History Month panel in LPC’s Cultural Community Center, she gained not only advice, but insight into her own life.
Zuniga’s mother, Tanika Zuniga, is a criminal analyst and former law enforcement officer. She was a panelist at the Women’s History Month panel held on March 25, in which Black women from various professions talked about their careers.
The panel was a collaboration between LPC’s Black Student Union and My Sister’s Keeper, a Black Women’s Health Imperative signature program. It was a chance for students to hear from Black women about their different career paths: the good, the bad and the ugly.
“I learned that law enforcement is stressful,” Trinidi Zuniga said. “She’s done it basically my whole life. Growing up, I (knew) she was stressed all the time.”
Tanika Zuniga, along with Kei Ford, Dawn Nwamuo, Lauren Carmen and Ra’Quel Neal, talked about obstacles they faced in their fields and how they overcame them.
“(If you) want to go into law enforcement, you just have to be mentally prepared,” Tanika Zuniga said. “It gets intense at times.”
Panelists also shared their career trajectories. Carmen was originally a fashion designer before she switched to a career in the behavioral health sector. She spoke about the struggles of having a nonlinear career path.
“Your degree will take you many places,” Carmen said. “Sometimes not even where you thought it would take you.”
A key theme of the panel was the discrimination that the panelists faced as Black women in the professional field. Nwamuo shared a story in which the women in her workplace had complaints about scheduling, but the issue wasn’t resolved until the men complained about it.
“We don’t deal with (an) equitable pay issue, but equitable treatment,” Nwamuo said.
Ford struggled with unwelcome questions about her art, which mainly depicts Black culture. “I’ve gotten questions like, ‘Why do you only do Black art?’” Ford said. “Why is it weird that a Black person would create Black people or Black art?”
Despite the hardships, obstacles and discrimination, there was still joy.
“These events (show) you’re not alone. We have your back,” said BSU Vice President Xaviar Taylor. “(It’s important) to be seen, and to be proud of who you are.”
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TOP PHOTO: From left to right, Ra’Quel Neal, Lauren Carmen, Dawn Nwamuo, Kei Ford, and Tanika Zuniga assemble together at the Cultural Community Center at LPC on Mar. 25, 2026. For Women’s History Month the Black Student Union invited a diverse group of industry professionals to share their insights and experiences from their respective fields. (Photo by Eric Liang/ The Express)
Nuha Maflahi is the Campus Life Editor for The Express. Follow her on X @NuhaMaflahiLPC.
