Welcome to Headroom, where we discuss all things essential to mental health and well being. I'm your host, Jim Owens, a licensed professional counselor at Lansing Community College. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast does not constitute psychotherapy. It does, however, introduce you to some phenomenal people who have incredible ideas for you and your life. Having said that, let's get into the Headroom today and begin today's conversation with Felipe Lopez-Sustaita, Associate Dean of Support Services at LCC. Welcome.

Thank you so much, Jim. It's a pleasure to be here today with you.

I appreciate you coming on, and I know you have a professional training and background in mental health, and maybe we'll get into that a little bit. But I'm just excited for students and the rest of the community to hear a little bit about you, your journey into college, how you persisted, and what you've learned gleaned from your own life and working with people in many different places and on different continents, kind of what's essential for mental health. So tell us a little bit about yourself.

So, Felipe Lopez Ustaita. I am the youngest of eight. My parents, I'll just mention them so that they, you know, they're in this space as well. Felipe Lopez Rocha and Magdalena Lopez Ustaita. They were both born in San Luis Potosi, this village called Conchas Concepcion. And that's kind of the beginning for us. Right. And my father was a bracero. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that.

I'm.

These are the folks that back when World War was happening, they needed workers, right. Because a lot of the men went to fight the war, and so they needed workers to work the fields. And so my father was. Was brought here and he worked as a young man, I think as young as 17, 18.

Wow.

And so those, those are kind of my beginnings. And, you know, obviously we were in a lot of poverty in Mexico, so that's why we all came to this country in search of a better life to America, and just in search of a better life in America. So that's kind of in a nutshell where I come from. But I was a migrant worker, right? So farm workers. We move Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan. And so we just work the fields. And that's kind of, you know, in a nutshell, kind of who I am.

You're still working the fields. It's just the fields are. They're not agricultural, they're academic, I think, and their students is the harvest or their futures. I think it's important that you highlighted your roots, and you started with the roots of your family. I think sometimes, and I won't speak for everyone, but largely in American culture, we're looking forward, not necessarily back. Here's what I want to achieve. Here's what I want. Here's my dream that we're all working on. The American dream, if you will. But your American dream that you have realized. You're an author, you have a PhD. You've excelled in many ways. Ways. You're rooted in something, though. And to highlight your roots. How important is roots to you? And do you think kind of other people should pay attention to that a little bit?

Yeah. I think for me, you know, when people ask me, hey, do you feel like you've made it all this stuff, or how do you do all these stuff? Because it's really, really difficult. I always go back to my why. Right. So that's the reason I started with how I started. My why is. Is my family, my ancestors. Right. And I am looking to the future. Everything I do is for my grandkids that I haven't even met. Right. Right. So. But I'm kind of in the middle. Right. I'm very focused on where I come from and, of course, where I'm. Where I'm going, because everything is for my. My children now and for a better, better life for my grandkids. So it's super important to me. That's why I never. I never start with titles or. Or this. Because we're all human. Right. At the end of the day, I think society judges so many people based on success, and sometimes we overlook the folks that do not have that degree, but they have life experience. Oh, yeah. And so with. With mental health, you know, I am. I am a social worker, like, and I've always been, even before I had the title. But this book that was very. It was an amazing book by Viktor Frankl.

Yeah.

Man Search.

Man's Search for Meaning.

For meaning. Yes. And he, you know, he talks about how when you don't have a lot of stuff, like a job or something, that can create, like, barriers in your mind. And so that was very powerful to me because I think people think of status and all this as, like, success, but that's not really the way I look at the world.

Yeah. I think you probably would define it more in terms of purpose.

Purpose. Yes. You could be, you know, there's people taking risk every single day. Right. Like, they show up to our campus.

Yeah.

And I tell you, and I tell the rest of our staff that when I See somebody come in, they might have all these barriers, but I see, like, Nobel Prize winners, I see future governors, I see future state representatives. And so to me, that purpose is bigger than anything. Right. And so that mindset of, like, yeah, that's super important to me, and that's what I bring to the world, is like, hope. One word. It's hope.

Yeah. That is the word I most associate with you. And actually, when we were preparing to walk over here for the podcast, you said, do I need to bring anything with me? And I said, you remember what I said? I said, just bring your spirit of hope. I think that's what you're known for. It kind of precedes you. Yeah. I think your vision is to build a better world, not only for your children and grandchildren, but through education, through working at the school here for everybody who can come and put some effort in. And we will meet them. You're probably like me. I don't say, we'll meet you halfway. I'll meet you 90% of the way. I'll come all the way to the edge.

Yeah, we'll go out of our way. Right. To meet you where you're at. And that's what's unbelievable about our staff, Jim, is that we literally will go out of our way to make sure that your needs are met. Right. And you did something. I don't know if you remember this. I was in the front desk, and you. You said, yeah, I have waters. Right. And from that, because it had been in my heart, like, we need. We need to give more to our students. And so we started put, you know, filling out, got a little refrigerator with water. It goes a long way. Right. Simple, simple things like that. Like basic necessity. Somebody might be thirsty or feeling certain way and they get a drink of water.

Simple hospitality. We were talking earlier about we have a very wide variety of types of students, if you will. We have great diversity on campus here. But I know the thing you hone in on with Everybody is just you0 right in on the dignity of the human person. You look past and not beyond, but you look deeper into the core of every person. As you said, like somebody rolling up to our desk or anybody on campus. I know you see them as the future leaders of our society. And I think that's how you. If I didn't know you, I would say you're so hospitable on campus. It's like, maybe you have a degree in hospitality, but in fact, you have a degree in social work and other things. So talk to us a Little bit about your college journey because you have come by economic standards a long way right from poverty. We don't have. You can tell what of your story you want, but I know, I know the stories of migrant workers in America, and they live on dirt floors for much of their life and they don't have access to education. So the fact that you've gone from that place all the way to a doctorate and an influencer, a leader on a college campus, tell us a little bit about how you got started in college. And then I'm curious about what the difficulties were in that, too.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. For migrant workers, for those folks that are listening to us. Latinos in general have a low graduation rate, but it's even higher for migrant workers because we move so much that we don't. We're not in school that much. So my journey, you know, I couldn't read or write coming into college. It was just so terrible. But. But I had a work ethic that was unbelievable. Right. And I think that's what got me. And I always share this story because it just shows you that it doesn't matter where you come from. I remember being dropped off at college with two trash bags. Right.

And. Yeah.

And my roommate from West Bloomfield had a full truck full of everything. Right. Tv, refrigerator, loft, everything. And I hear you have me, who had never slept in a bed and I slept in floors my entire childhood. And so just setting the stage, like, it's like it was my faith, really, that got me through. There's nothing, Nothing else that I can attribute to. To my success, but just getting there, showing up to class, everybody, laptops, and I. I don't even have the necessary tools to compete. Yeah. But I think my parents, you know, gave me faith and hard work. Yeah. And the humility to. To be able to be successful. So they gave me the tools and. And I graduated in four years. I don't know how that's even possible when you're so behind, but I worked hard. Right. And there was a lot of tears, a lot of scars that I still wear from the difficulties of being in class and not feeling like I belong. And with some of the smartest people that might have gone to boarding schools, that might have gone to really good public schools, but again, none of that really matters. I think when you have faith and you also have your. Why, like, why are you there? Because it is going to get hard. But that kind of determination of doing is what kind of got me.

What would you have said if I would have caught you as A young man of 20 or 21. And I said, hey, why are you doing this? What would you have answered back then? Maybe it's the same answer now. But what was your why while you were in college?

Yeah. And my why was different. Right. At that point, when I came to college, my sister Myra was a student. She was a junior. And my parents basically sent me to go take care of her. So my why was just to get through so Myra could graduate. And then my plan was to go back home. Right. So this was never the plan.

It wasn't even for yourself?

No, it was. It was like an order. My dad and mom said, hey, go.

Yeah.

I even graduated early, Jim. I graduated in three years. I was 16 years old. With. With. With. Not. Not. Not. Because I was, like, super smart.

Graduated high school early. Yeah. Graduated so that you could get to college to watch over your sister.

Yep. And so my why. That was my why is to. To just. But I didn't even take care of Myra, you know, Myra was the one taking care of me. But what happened is my dad passed my. My. My sophomore year. That was devastating. It was probably that. One of the worst setbacks of my life. But I also wouldn't be here if it wasn't for. For that experience, really, because I was very antisocial. I didn't have any friends. That's two years.

Okay.

I was kind of a loner. I had a mission to be there. But when my dad passed and I was in Mexico, I saw so many people, heard so many stories of how amazing he was. And I knew he was amazing. Nobody had to tell me. But what he was doing outside, like, providing funds for people to. To, like, survive, taking them, clothing, everything. He was like a superhero. And. And so that. That was life changing. And then I'm trying to fill his shoes now. Right. My why changed after that. Yeah. I promised him that I would get the highest degree. Did it. Not knowing what that meant. Wow. You know, and so that's why when you have that kind of why, there's no way you can fail.

Yeah. Those strike me as particularly personal and powerful whys compared to. I don't really mean to knock some of the other whys I've heard, but we both met students who show up and they go to college because they want to get rich, or in some cases, they want to get a credential so they can become a celebrity or something. Just kind of superficial. Although there can be really deep whys behind why they want those things. But on the superficial level, those. I don't think drive students hard enough, probably, or motivate them strong enough to really persist in college. I think what you're describing is a connection to your family and then a desire to carry on a legacy because your father had started a legacy. And it impacted hundreds and by them, thousands of people. And I think that's probably what your why is more now, today.

Yes.

Is that right?

And it's like. Like I'm a farmer. Right. And you. You earlier, you talked about that. I. I planted seeds. Like, literally tobacco, strawberries. Yeah, literally planted seeds. And we see the. The fruit and vegetable and we pick it, and it's an unbelievable. I mean, that's like. Like a God thing, right? Like, I mean, the creation and the whole development, and it has to do with the soil, with the water, how much it rains. And so you translate to what we do now. Right. And it's planting seeds in students. It's planting seeds. And anybody that is near me, like, I'm entrusted with that. Like, people are like flowers. They're like seeds. And there's this amazing quote that one of my friends said, in order to understand the flower, you must study the seed. Right. And there is seeds that even grow in cracks of concrete.

Yeah.

That can. Can be successful. And I think that's my philosophy when they come in here to us.

Yeah.

It doesn't matter if. If people call it a bad seed or a good seed. Like if. If you put the right pieces, they're going to bloom. Right.

Or where that seed got rooted, where it got started. You know, you can. You can't have a beautiful flower grow from a crack in the sidewalk, if you will, rather than fertile soil, if you will.

That's right.

I think you and I both work really hard to try to make LCC fertile soil for. For people, for students. But we know they're coming to us from not good soil, let's put it that way. They're coming from really rough backgrounds, home life, neighborhoods, et cetera. So what have you. I think you've shared a little bit here, too. What I like to ask people is what stopped you from almost graduating from college and how did you get through it? But it sounds like there were lots of things, so I don't know if you want to expand on that any further, but was there a point in your mind? There probably wasn't where you said, I'm not going to finish.

Oh, yeah, all the time.

Oh, really?

Okay. Yeah, yeah, all the time. Jim and I. I experienced so much, you know, people, you know, telling me that I didn't belong. Or, or, you know, there's so much, so much doubt, you know, especially when you can't call somebody and say, because a lot of people in my community hadn't done it right. And I'm trying to do something that, that hasn't been done. And so luckily I had good mentors that kind of said, go back in there, keep fighting. But it's, it's a lonely place. You know, I, I, you know, you hear this thing of it's less crowded at the top and it is less crowded, but it is also very lonely.

Yeah.

You know, it's a very lonely place. I think what, what's kept my, my mental and everything is that I'm so connected to the people at the bottom too, you know, And I don't forget my why.

Yeah.

And I think that's, that's important.

Wow. You know, well, you're, you're pointing out to me here that here I've made the mistake of seeing somebody on the outside who's so positive and hopeful and courageous and daring and then assuming that must be easy for you because that's just kind of my read. But of course it wasn't. I'm sure you faced all kinds of discrimination. First of all, for those of you who aren't seen on the Vodcast, you can probably tell from Felipe's name he's non white. So being in a large city full of white students and other people, I don't know how much external racial discrimination you faced in school, but I'm sure it was a factor as well.

Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. And as farm worker. Right. I saw so many, so many things. You know, I think one of the biggest one that still to this day hurts me is and me and my sisters talk about it, but we were all working in Coloma, Michigan and my dad was already sick. He was probably in, in his late 50s and we were working, hoeing, you know. So for those of you listening, the, we weren't using the, the long one, we were using a small one. So on your knees, 100 degrees weather. And, and this farmer, like my dad was already throwing up in the field and he was so mean to him. He was so rude to my dad. Like, it still hurts me thinking about, I still probably cry because I couldn't defend them, you know, as an 8, 9 year old. So now I have an obligation that if I see somebody being mistreated or something, it's, it's a no brainer, I'm gonna step in and I'm gonna be a voice, you know, and I think I've tried to do that throughout my, my career, you know, just being a voice. When even if you're in a table of 12 and you're the only one going up against everything I still have because of that experience I have the willingness to engage and speak up.

It's like you make. Sometimes we use this phrase inner vow, like you made an inner vow at some point as a young man. I will never let anyone. First of all, you would never let anyone speak to your father that way again without intervening in some way. But since he's passed now, you've taken that charge on for any person.

Yeah.

I will not, I will not stand idly by. And of course, you were a seven year old boy. What could you have done? But I won't stand by while someone is being disparaged, humiliated. I won't dig deep into it, but I can just picture how brutal migrant farmers are treated, how brutally.

Yeah, yeah. And no, that, that's, it's traumatic. Right. And we're talking about mental health and everything. Like, I, I wouldn't have been able to share that if I didn't write it. Right. Like, so writing my book, it was healing. It was like, it was. I mean, it took like 10, 15 years to write that thing, but it was through tears. And you know, sometimes I would write, maybe I wrote that passage and I couldn't write for two years because it was so deep, you know, and, and you know, for anybody listening, like, we all have trauma, generational trauma, and it's okay. It's, it, it shouldn't define who we are. We just have to, to find ways to heal. And sometimes talking to a therapist helps. Sometimes writing, journaling, I mean, there's various methods of doing that.

So maybe one thing you wouldn't recommend is doing what you did the first couple years of college, which is isolating.

Yes.

That's probably exactly 180 degrees from where I will dare say where we need to go. That sounds a little prescriptive because sometimes we need to isolate to protect ourselves. That is also a, it is a strategy and it can save our lives sometimes. But in the end it needs to be. You need to turn around and go toward other people.

Yeah. And you know, sometimes you don't have the tools. Right. Like there's people that don't have the tools. Like, I mean, I'm very different than I was back in when, when I was younger. I know so much more now, but I've heard of the law of Attraction. Right. You attract whatever energy you put out. And so I was attracting all. Anybody that looked at me, I thought, you know, I wanted to fight. I'm like, oh, they're looking at me kind of like. Like despicable.

Right.

So there was that trauma. Now if somebody looks at me a certain way, I just. I don't internalize it. I'm like, okay, it's. It's just they're having a bad day. I feel. I feel bad.

Yeah. So, yeah, you. You now have sympathy.

Sympathy.

You have sympathy because, you know.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think hopefully that is a transition that people make from that quick, snap judgment that leads to anger into when someone's acting out, even like this farmer who's disparaging your dad or others. It's pitiable, really, isn't it? It's a pitiable thing that you are stooping so low to speak to another human being that way or whatever. That we have sympathy and not anger, but it's sort of a righteous sympathy. Like, you need healing.

Yeah. And we don't know. Right. What people go through. I mean, every single day. Right. And I. And we. As we were walking over here, I told you, like, even if people are mean to me, like, I'll just give them the other cheek. Right. Like, I. I just. I don't know what people are going through. And so having that. That sympathy and. And. And understanding. And again, I don't know everything about leadership, but what I do know is that humans are our most valuable asset in this whole planet. And so if we don't treat them right, we don't treat our kids right, then we. We're. We're losing a huge opportunity. So for me, you know, humans are everything. And so, I mean, you know, this. I'm. I'm not just saying this. You. You see it every day with. With us working together is that, you know, and even with students. Right. Like, they're so valuable.

Yeah.

Asset to our community here.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm just trying to. I'm zooming back out a little bit and noticing this conversation is a lot about mindset, about your mindset in particular, and how you cultivated that in a certain direction. And I think when you were a young man, you can look back and see, like, your mindset was determined and focused, and you probably were gonna. You could have conquered anything at that point in your life. But your mindset now is one of. It's softer somehow. Your mindset is softer, more flexible, more open, more loving and forgiving. Could I say that?

Yeah. Yeah. Because I I wanted to fight everybody. Right. I was so angry. I was so angry at the discrimination. I was so angry at how they treated us in school.

Yeah.

I was just angry. I mean, and when you're working, you know, 16, 18 hour shifts as a 12 year old and your back is all busted and your body's all hurt, and I realized that we were just so dispensable, like they could just get rid of us. Like, how can you not? And it's okay to be angry, but at some point, if I had that attitude, I wouldn't be where I'm at either. Yeah. You know, that requires growth and sometimes pain. Right. When I lost my father and I lost my brother, and I lost family along the way at a very young age like that, you know, there's a pivotal point where you can grow, have a mind grow or, or just cave in and continue to have that mentality.

So I'm going to press you, if I can, a little for a how. And we have a few more minutes left. But what could you say to people listening? Because I think people would be desirous of moving on to a more healthy mindset. I think many people who are walking on angry are not happy being that angry. Yes. How did you make that pivot?

Yeah, I think, like I said, I think once I, I had something to live for, you know, because I would probably be working right now. I know exactly where I would be right now. Probably working the same route that all my, my entire life did, forever, my family. So I would probably be doing that. But for those people that are angry, that are not happy, try to figure out why. What is your why? Right. Like what, what? And then have some, some goals, some dreams. Right. Even if they seem impossible. I think that, you know, you could have the best education, you can have the best everything, but if you don't have a direction, you're gonna end up lost. Right. So I would recommend that, that you hold on to something. Right. And, and then invest in yourself. Like whether it's reading, whether it's mentoring, getting folks that can, can help you, because it's hard to get out of it on your own. You need, you need support.

Yeah.

And, and for those, you know, people that come to our college, we have so many resources. You know, this Jim. Like, we have so many great people here. We. I mean, I'm not going to name them all, but, you know, especially in, in Student Affairs West Campus, all of our people want to help you. All you have to do is look for it, ask for it, and, and we will. We'll help you through that journey. So I think just locking in into what is that that you want to accomplish and then find the resources. We're here. We're here to help. So I think that I would say that just have a go and then go after it, right?

Yeah.

Like whether people laugh at you or it doesn't matter, I always think of, and I don't mean to get all spiritual or anything, but like Noah when he built that ark and everybody laughed at him. Right. And there's like, there's no water. Right.

There's no rain. There's no rain clouds. Yeah, yeah.

You're in the desert. What are you doing, man?

Building a giant ship.

Yeah. But when you have that scarce kind of how it feels like I'm obeying to my life. And regardless of who laughs or who supports or who doesn't, I'm going to stay focused.

You're going to stay focused? Yeah. Maybe I'll wrap this up and I'll put in the show notes for our listeners. Links to Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, and then maybe also a link to Simon Sinek, who talks about why in the context of the Golden Circle. So if you want to learn more about those. But Victoria, Viktor Frankl was the gentleman. He was a psychiatrist who wrote Man's Search for Meaning after he came out of the Holocaust as a Jewish Holocaust survivor and he survived in the concentration camps, both Dachau and Auschwitz. He was a physician. And while he was there, he said, I'm not going to die because it's my job to keep people alive. And sometimes that meant he was cutting an aspirin tablet that he would find into four pieces and going through a bunkhouse of 100 men deciding who gets a quarter of an aspirin today. But his why kept him alive and created this massive philosophy we use in psychotherapy called logotherapy. But yeah, thank you for sharing that. That why is so important. And we'll link some information to that in the show notes and as you highlighted. You know, if students want one on one help with counseling to help find their why or any support, please come to our office. LCC offers, you know, for currently enrolled students, we offer free one on one counseling. It's personal, it's confidential, it's not a part of your student record. And you can learn more at LCC Edu Counseling. So thank you, Felipe, for coming and talking with us. I really appreciate that.

No, thank you so much, Jim, for the opportunity.

All right, we'll See you next time on the headroom, everyone.