From struggling undergraduate to confident clinician and entrepreneur, Alondra Sanchez has forged a path defined by resilience, service and purpose.
Alondra Sanchez, left, pauses for a photo with her daughter and husband.
As the co-owner of Cultura Counseling LLC, a private mental health practice in Menasha, Sanchez, a psychotherapist, is working to fill a critical gap by offering culturally sustaining, bilingual care to underserved communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and Spanish-speaking individuals.
Sanchez, of Appleton, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh.
Abbas Yaghmaian, retired program manager in the Division of Academic Support at UWO and a longtime mentor to Sanchez, nominated Sanchez for the honor.
“Alondra exemplifies a resourceful upwardly mobile professional with a promising future who explores all avenues to collaborate with various organizations such as schools, mental health clinics, community organizations and state agencies to facilitate and offer quality services to the community,” Yaghmaian said. “As a licensed mental health professional, she is in a strong position to serve as an advocate for the people she serves.”
Sanchez’s journey began with uncertainty. A first-generation college student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, she transferred to UW–Oshkosh from UW–Milwaukee at age 19. Though she excelled in high school, college proved a different challenge. She was unsure of her path, struggled academically and was close to failing courses her junior year.
“When I first started at UWO, I was quite lost during my young adult life and really struggled with academics,” Sanchez said. “In my junior year, I was on the verge of failing two classes when Abbas reached out to me to offer support. Meeting with Abbas was meant to be and was the first time I felt like someone on campus was looking out for me.”
Alondra Sanchez visited Peru in 2016.
With encouragement and guidance, she became more involved in campus life, connected with BIPOC students and found a sense of community. She worked with indigenous people in study abroad programs in Australia in 2014 and in Peru in 2016.
After graduating in 2016, with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and a minor in Spanish, she continued to meet with Yaghmaian, uncertain of her next step. One day, he asked if she had ever considered graduate school.
“I laughed out loud and then realized he was being serious,” she recalled. “He asked if I would meet with the chair of the professional counseling program and I agreed. I learned about the program and decided to apply.”
Despite a low undergraduate GPA, Sanchez was accepted into UWO’s professional counseling program on the strength of her personal statement, recommendations and clear potential. She went on to earn a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and graduated with a 3.9 GPA in 2021.
Alondra Sanchez, lower right, stops for a photo with fellow UW–Oshkosh graduates.
“My success in this program increased my confidence in myself and my abilities,” she said. “Abbas and the professors in the professional counseling program have greatly impacted my life. I reflect on how grateful I am for these folks because without them, I would not be where I am today.”
Her journey, however, began long before college. Sanchez was born in the U.S. during one of her mother’s cycles of migrant work between Mexico and the States. Her mother, who came to the U.S. at age 15, worked in fields as a migrant laborer and ultimately settled permanently in 1997 when Alondra was 4 and her younger sister, Salma, was 2. Her mother, Gishela Garcia, has since become a U.S. citizen.
“My mom’s role in my success is huge,” Sanchez said. “She has always supported my studies the best that she could. She wanted me to go to college but never pressured me and was mostly focused on me being happy. My mom has provided so much guidance and wisdom over the years. Even when she had her own struggles, she showed up for me.”
Her mother now lives with Sanchez and helps care for her 5-year-old daughter, Leo.
“She has an incredible bond with my daughter and treats my spouse like her own child,” Sanchez said. “We are so lucky to have her.”
In 2023, Sanchez and her sister, Salma, launched Cultura Counseling, LLC, in Menasha. The practice was founded to provide quality mental health care that is accessible, affirming and culturally informed.
“It’s a mental health private practice dedicated to providing quality pay and work life integration to therapists and providing quality care to the BIPOC community,” she said.
Cultura Counseling offers bilingual services, serves clients as young as 5, and provides pro bono therapy when possible. Sanchez draws on her personal experiences to shape the culture and mission of the clinic.
Alondra Sanchez, second from right, is shown with her family. She is receiving a UWO 2025 Outstanding Young Alumni award this fall.
Sanchez has also served as a youth advocate in the Appleton school system and is on the board of the NEW Mental Health Connection. She also is a member of The Suicide Prevention Action Team and continues to give back as a member of the UWO Professional Counseling Program Advisory Board.
Teysha Bowser, assistant professor and school counseling program coordinator at UWO, is well aware of Sanchez’s impact, especially with current UWO students. “Alondra Sanchez has continued to support our professional counseling students by mentoring marginalized students, validating their experiences and offering guidance in navigating different systems,” Bowser said, adding that Sanchez offered students clinical work opportunities at the private practice that Sanchez and her sister co-founded.
Reflecting on her journey, Sanchez often returns to the importance of identity, resilience and seeking support when needed. The advice she’d give her 18-year-old self is this: “Everything always works out the way it is supposed to,” she said. “Seek support when you need it as we are not meant to do this life alone. Lastly, remember that people often project their own beliefs, fears, values onto you and only you know what is best for you. Do not be limited by other people’s opinions. Even if things do not go how you imagined, God and the universe always have your back.”
The University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh will celebrate the talents and successes of 11 alumni Oct. 17-18 during Homecoming 2025. Sanchez is among five top graduates to be honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for their professional and civic accomplishments within 15 years of receiving their degrees, five alumni will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for their accomplishments in their professional fields; and one will receive the Alumni Outstanding Service Award for making exemplary contributions to support UWO through volunteer efforts, energy, leadership and/or philanthropic donations.
The 2025 Alumni Awards Celebration will be held Friday, Oct. 17 at the Culver Family Welcome Center, with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by the dinner and program beginning at 6 p.m. Cost of the event is $40 per person. More information is available by contacting UWO Alumni Relations at (920) 424-3449, or alumni@uwosh.edu
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