Ronnie Fernandez - Clinical Psychologist

As the first generation to go to college, Ronnie was proud that USC selected him.  “I never thought I could” he said, and he has made the most of it.  As a child who had difficulty in learning Ronnie had seen firsthand how easily he could not have continued, and the opportunity for education would just have slipped away.

His parents supported him in his goals but the number one thing that all dysfunctional families have in common, said Ronnie, is the lack of males as authority figures in the home.  Females as they grow up are seen to be “non-persons.”  Thus violence against women occurs frequently.  His project helps turns boy around, teaching them classroom abilities and also social skills.  They learn to look a person in the eye when they speak to them, to speak correctly and to project themselves positively into a situation.

Ronnie was asked the question, at what point do you give up on a child?  Ronnie said he never gives up and hopes he is at the right point in a child’s life to make a difference.

But when pressed, he did allow that, by the time a person has reached the age of 27 or 28, they are likely to be set in their ways.  The chances are low for that person to be able to turn their lives around.

Last year the Downey City Council appointed Ronnie to the Green Task Force, an advisory group which meets monthly to map strategies to make the city more environmentally friendly.