Spotlight: Jesler Molina

The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging (CEOB) is excited to continue this Spotlight series where we sit down with organizations to talk about their work and their belonging journey in Utah. 

We recently sat down and spoke with Jesler Molina about building belonging in Utah and his work at the Office of Professional Licensure Review and the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah.

In two to three sentences can you explain what you do? 

I work as a Research Specialist in the Office of Professional Licensure Review under the Department of Commerce. In this role, I do research support with analysts, but I also work with international credentialing. In this role, we help international applicants find a way to licensure. 

I also work for the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah as a volunteer. I work as a Program Specialist, just advising the Executive Director. I look to support the community in any way that I can.

What does belonging mean to you?

For me, there are three different areas of belonging. The first is how you interact with your community and gain knowledge to help yourself feel a sense of belonging. The second is how the community where you’re interacting makes you feel like you belong. The last one is how you personally help to create belonging. This last one is more used in my professional side. It is how I'm helping individuals feel belonging in Utah and in the community. 

In the first area, what I have done throughout the years is try to be outgoing. I have always tried to see how I can first be part of this community. How can I interact with the different members of this community? What can I learn? What things are out there that can nurture my knowledge further about the community? So that's what I did back then when I was in college as an international student. When I came to Utah, I was always asking how I could join the community. In my case, I have an interest in politics. So, I decided to get involved in politics. That was something that I developed on my own. 

The second area is how the people around you can build belonging. One of the ways to do this is to create a culture of acceptance for people from different backgrounds. Many people that I have interacted with over the years have made me feel welcome.

The last one, which is how I help others to belong, is something that grew on me when I was in college. I used to work for the Latino initiative, and I was a part of the International Student Council. The whole idea of that organization was how to make people feel welcome, especially if you're an international student. How do we make them feel welcome at Utah Valley University? As a part of the Latino initiative and other programs, it was about making Latinos feel welcome at college. I always tried to reflect on my own experiences and how I developed a sense of belonging in Utah. I start getting resources and narrowing them down to help others feel belonging.

Can you share with us a bit of your story of finding belonging/ or your continued journey of finding belonging in Utah? 

I think finding belonging is a constantly evolving situation. For me, Utah has been home for the last 17 years. I came here for college, and I adapted myself into the culture. I found that sense of belonging to Utah that went from college and my involvement in different organizations, to my work with advisors, mentors, who helped me understand that this is a place where you can grow personally, professionally, build a family, and so much more. My journey keeps evolving right now with my family and my kids. My connection to Utah is more professional now because of my job. Such a key aspect of my professional life was acknowledging my successes. You need to have some pride in that. I felt belonging when I finally realized that my work had a positive impact on the community. My opportunities and duties have also evolved since coming here. I was this little kid who just graduated, who was trying to fit in within the Utah community. I was working in different industries. Finally, now it's a state level. This progress has increased my sense of belonging.

Going back to what you do, how do you think belonging fits into what you do/ and or your organization does?

At the Office of Professional Licensure Review, we are currently looking for pathways for licensure to let nationally trained professionals get a job at the skill level they have. I feel that creating opportunities for belonging for a lot of people within the state is not easy. It will take time. But I feel that the research I am doing in this area, in particular, is so important to help people achieve that feeling of belonging. The office is trying to build a sense of belonging. We're constantly reviewing licensure, and that goes more in-depth into the details of creating safety and belonging for people.

In the Venezuelan Alliance, that’s where I do a lot of work to help people feel belonging. We have built a platform in where we want to teach people again how to belong in Utah. That means not only welcoming them, but truly helping them integrate. It's also about telling them and teaching them about the rules, regulations, and laws. We want to show people this is what it looks like when you are in here in Utah. This is how you get a driver’s license. This is how you enroll your kids in school. We want to encourage them to speak English. A lot of people might disagree with me and say and tell them to keep their language.  We're saying, Keep your language, keep your origins. You have to learn and adapt a little bit to replace it where you're coming from now. You need to go out and interact with the community. Don't isolate yourself in a small group, because that doesn't help you to connect. Belonging isn’t just coming here and living here; it’s about truly becoming a part of the community. 

What are some things you believe we need to do as Utahns to make our state a place where everyone belongs? Or what is something someone did that helped you feel like you belong in Utah?

With the Office of Professional Licensure Review, we are doing good work. I think there is still a lot of work to be done on trying to understand that there are different situations to help different people integrate into this country successfully. There are different cultures, backgrounds, immigration status, and situations that need to be taken into account when thinking about regulations. 

As Utahns, we should always look to connect with the community. In all of our roles, we need to be more connected to our community. This applies to students, government officials, and especially average citizens. We need to keep reaching those connections. Also, just keep supporting programs that are helping the community. I think that's a key part too. 

For someone who is coming to Utah and is trying to develop a sense of belonging, the first thing that I always say is to learn the rules and the laws. You need to ask questions. A lot of people don't like to ask questions. Know what you can and cannot do. We need to have these people learn English and teach their children English so they can develop in their professional lives. But, how do you develop this sense of belonging without losing your heritage? I always stress that you learn the language without losing your heritage, because that's going to help you in your future here. Also, connect with someone who is arriving, and connect with the different organizations. Connect with these organizations, learn from them, and see what resources they offer. Volunteering is also a great way of getting involved. Through doing these things, you can gain a sense of belonging and share that with others. 

How can people get involved?

You just have to go out and find ways to get involved. You know, a lot of times we just think, I don't have time, and I have to work. I think there is always time, you just have to find it and make it fit. Then, you have to reach out. There are many local organizations in your city. If you want to go bigger, reach out to your community. It can be working with new migrants, like we do, or you can help in whatever way you are able. You have to get involved. Find the time and just do it. Don't be afraid of reaching out to an organization and asking how you can help. We always encourage people to reach out and ask.