Building Wings Through Storytelling: Inside the ALAS Project

In May, Dr. Ariana Ochoa Camacho, associate professor in the Department of Culture, Arts and Communication, and Dr. Rachel Hershberg, associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences, both in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Tacoma, discussed the Adolescent Latinas Advancing Salud Mental Through Storytelling (ALAS) project. 

The conversation explored how storytelling, creative expression and community partnerships help support Latina adolescents' mental health while creating opportunities for connection, self-reflection and leadership development.

The ALAS project began with a concern about youth mental health in Pierce County.

The idea grew after Ochoa Camacho and Hershberg attended a Pierce County Public Health Department presentation that highlighted trends in community health. During the presentation, they learned that Latina adolescents were at the intersection of several high-risk categories associated with depression and anxiety.

"I walked away and I was like, oh my gosh, somebody needs to do something to address anxiety and depression in adolescent Latinas at about the 10th grade level," Ochoa Camacho said.

At the time, both researchers were already thinking deeply about youth wellbeing through their own work. Hershberg had worked with adolescents in mixed-status and transnational families, while Ochoa Camacho had experience with community-based health initiatives. Together, they began talking about what a more proactive approach might look like.

"We conceived of ALAS," Ochoa Camacho said.

Named after the Spanish word for "wings," the project was designed to help young Latinas navigate challenges before they become larger mental health concerns. Rather than focusing only on treatment, the team wanted to create a space where participants could build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop tools to manage stress.

From the beginning, collaboration was central to the project's design.

The research team partnered with Proyecto MoLE Executive Director Melody Rodriguez, a longtime community leader known for her work supporting Latina youth in Tacoma. Hershberg said Rodriguez immediately recognized the need for additional support systems for young women in the community.

The project also brought together a faculty team of five, Dr. Alyssa Ramirez-Stege, Dr. Sarah Chavez, and Dr, Sonia de la Cruz including Ochoa Camacho and Hershberg, from multiple disciplines, including psychology, communication, arts and community-engaged scholarship. Their shared goal was to create a culturally grounded program that centered participants' experiences while building meaningful relationships among youth, community leaders and university partners.

Support from the Office of Community Partnerships helped move the project from idea to reality, funding workshops, recruiting participants and developing a model centered on storytelling, creative expression and leadership development.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

The team had already recruited participants and completed orientation sessions with a launch date set for March 19, 2020.

"We were implementing, running with it, and so excited," Ochoa Camacho said.

As schools closed and uncertainty spread, many participants' families faced new economic pressures, caregiving responsibilities and disruptions to daily life. After talking with community partners, the team made the decision to pause the project.

When the work resumed, the team had to rethink nearly everything. 

"We had to really rework the entire program," Ochoa Camacho said.

The original model relied heavily on in-person mentorship and youth leadership activities. In its place, the team created a fully virtual experience that could still support participants during a difficult time.  Community partners delivered art supplies and materials directly to participants' homes, so that creative work could continue. 

For Hershberg, that process strengthened the partnership itself. "We really got to know our community partner much better," she said.

Together, the team adapted workshops, developed new ways to stay connected online and created a space where participants could continue building relationships despite the distance.

Storytelling became one of the most powerful tools within the program.

Through writing, art, reflection and discussion, participants explored their identities, relationships and experiences. Activities encouraged them to think critically about the messages they had received and to recognize their own strengths.

"It was really important that you help young people, especially those who are minoritized in all these various ways, see the strengths they brought to the table," Hershberg said.

One workshop focused on reframing negative labels and assumptions. Participants looked at messages they had internalized and practiced seeing themselves through a strengths-based lens. A young person described as "bossy," for example, might instead recognize leadership qualities within themselves.

Another memorable moment came from a story shared by collaborator Alyssa Ramirez-Stege about advice from her aunt:

"Mija, you need to be where you can shine."

According to Ochoa Camacho, that message resonated deeply with participants and became one of the project's lasting themes.

The team's approach also challenged common assumptions about mental health work. Rather than treating culture, language or community traditions as barriers, ALAS emphasized them as sources of strength.

"Health communication work often sees Latino culture and language as barriers," Ochoa Camacho said. "Our approach shifts that and says, these are not barriers, they are resources and strengths."

Participants reflected on relationships, cultural traditions and community connections that supported their wellbeing, while also talking through the challenges they faced. The project made space for honest reflection without asking participants to step away from important parts of who they are. 

Several years later, the impact of ALAS continues to unfold in unexpected ways.

While working on a forthcoming book chapter, research team members Ochoa Camacho, Hershberg and Chavez reconnected with former participants. Three are now co-authors, contributing their own reflections on how ALAS influenced their lives.

Those conversations revealed impacts that weren’t fully visible at the time. 

"It wasn't until we started this more in-depth work with these co-authors, that we really understood how transformative it really was for them," Ochoa Camacho said.

Former participants described how ALAS influenced their confidence, their leadership, and their willingness to try new opportunities. Some connected the experience to studying abroad, taking on leadership roles and staying involved in their communities.

For the researchers, hearing those reflections years later has been especially meaningful.

"There's nothing better than hearing all of these positive impacts this thing you did has on these wonderful people years later," Hershberg said.

Looking ahead, both researchers see ALAS as the beginning of something larger. They hope to continue expanding the model and sharing lessons learned with other communities interested in culturally rooted approaches to youth mental health.

For Ochoa Camacho, one goal remains clear: helping young people carry what they’ve learned with them.

"A tool set," she said. "Whether it's college or a job or parenting or a relationship – something they can return to and use to move forward."

As the work continues, the focus remains the same: creating spaces where young Latina women can find support, build community and recognize their own strengths.

"We're definitely not done yet," Ochoa Camacho said.