Minnie Ocasio is one of the many Red Knights who’ve gone above and beyond when it comes to helping those around her. When deciding on her college major, she already knew she wanted to help people. She did just this by majoring in social work at Alvernia University, going to grad school at Kutztown Univeristy, becoming a therapist at Betterview Counseling, and giving back to those in her community by organizing healthy lifestyle events. Despite her benevolent acts and helping countless numbers of people, Minnie herself bore many internal struggles, yet her gallantry allowed her to endure these battles with depression to inspire her to help others. “I have my own childhood traumas that have surfaced after having my children, which I love so very much, but they had surfaced after having them, and I was battling that. I was battling some dark times, definitely some depression, some suicidal ideations, and thankfully, I'm still here today to be a voice for others.”
Having gone through hard times at home, for her, high school was an escape. Because of this, she was involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible. “I loved high school. I miss high school so much! It was my way of getting away from home, but in a positive way!” One of the people at RHS who created a positive environment for Minnie was her homeroom teacher, Ms. Kutz. “She saw a lot of my troubles that I was going through at home. She really helped me get through my senior year. What no one knew was that I was struggling. I definitely admire her for that because she saw my potential [which was] something that I was struggling to see myself.”
After graduating from RHS in 2006, she was bestowed a full-ride scholarship at Alvernia University. Even though high school was her escape from her troubles at home, her life at college was not an easy transition. “It [Reading High School] was my home. And then when I started my freshman year at Alvernia, I was homesick. It was definitely a bit of a culture shock for me when you go from the big fish in the little pond to now a little guppy fish into this big, massive ocean, you know. So it was a very scary transition for me, and I actually struggled with that up until junior year.” It was through the Alvernia University Dance Team that she found an outlet that helped her through this chapter of her life.
Although aiming for an education degree at first, she soon felt a calling to switch her major to social work. Still, college was not all smooth sailing. Her professors–instead of encouraging her–doubted her. But this would not bring her down, nor would it break her. Instead, it gave her a drive, a resolve, to prove that those who doubted her were wrong. She inverted their negativity to make herself feel proud. “When I was in grad school, it was very hard for me because I was balancing a lot, and I will never forget that the director of the program told me that I should take a year off that day. He didn't believe that the program was for me, and I left there crying, very, very defeated, and I was getting ready. I was gonna leave because I was like, ‘Well, if he's saying that, then it's absolutely true.’ And, you know, I had someone who had a pep talk with me, and they were like, ‘You're gonna let one person like, deter you from what you want to do and what you want to be?’ And I got hungry. I was like, ‘You know what? I'm gonna prove this guy [wrong]! Yes, I do belong here. Yes, I can do it!’ And I worked hard. I'm not saying it was easy at all, because it's not, and nothing is ever handed to me. And I worked hard, and I ended up graduating. And I ended up graduating with a high GPA.” When asked if Minnie could go back in time to her younger self and give herself a message, she answered, “Don't ever let someone tell you you can't do it. Do it, and do it better. Do it harder, and if you fail at it the first time, take it as a learning lesson and you keep on going. No goal is too big. No dream is too big. Keep going, but do not ever let someone tell you that you cannot do it. Because, yes, you can.”
Subsequent to her graduation, she got her first job in child welfare and even met her current boss, Tremaine Jones, the CEO of the AAU Basketball League, Kids that Ball. This introduction to him would eventually lead her to Betterview Counseling. Minnie acknowledges she went through a challenging path in order to get where she is and gives credence to the fact that it all happened for a reason. “I decided to take a leap of faith and I’ve been at Betterview Counseling and Trauma Recovery since. All of this happened but I think it was meant to happen for me!”
Minnie's gentle and approachable therapeutic touch has allowed her to discover her passion and talent for working with kids and teens. “I have a wide range [of ages], from like 5 to the age of 60, and I realized then that I really had a passion for children and for teens. So I try to stay focused on that. I don't feel like I'm working when I'm just doing my thing with my teens. I love it!” She has helped these clients with different types of therapy apart from more typical sit-down sessions. Her type of therapy includes art, music, physical exercise, and writing letters to one’s younger self. “I love just talking and being that outlet, that person that someone is seeking guidance from. I also love learning from my clients. I always have clients that might share something and I might not know about it, so I’ll look it up. I’m always learning because of them, too! It's important to be teachable.”
Something that Minnie has learned throughout her years of being a therapist is that physical therapy is quite effective. “Movement is medicine. So, I tend to run to a lot of my kickboxing, and it's allowed me to take out any of my frustrations, hurt, anger, or anything of that sort, in a positive way, in a bag. It's just a great outlet. I also power lift, and there's nothing that makes me feel stronger than just pushing and throwing around some weights.” Minnie sees herself still helping people and even opening up her own practice in ten years, which would consist of physical therapeutic services that would focus on trauma-informed kickboxing and more hands-on therapy.
Because she believes movement is medicine, she created the Zumba Combat Kick-A-Thon. This was created to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, to search for broader audiences, and to provide mental health resources. The event allows people to search for their desired therapist through different mental health agencies. It also includes body combat and Zumba, where people do cardio by dancing, kickboxing, and punching! Minnie describes being a firm believer in the effectiveness of therapy once one finds a therapist they connect with. “When people are like ‘therapy didn't work,’ It wasn't that therapy didn't work. It was the fact that you didn't connect with your therapist, because the moment you connect with your therapist, you want to go, you want to be invested, you want to do these things.” Her Kick-A-Thon also demonstrates the different styles of therapy. “I wanted to make sure that I had different styles of therapy. So I had someone there that did equine therapy, that took horses, trauma, informed yoga, someone that had more of a holistic approach. I just wanted to show the diversity that the community had in reference to mental health.” Her Zumba Combat Kick-A-Thon proceeds go toward two scholarships for two seniors at Reading High School, as well as the school’s Aevidum Club.
Minnie looks back at her high school years fondly. Due to having a positive experience, she strives to give others a good experience with the help she provides. Although it wasn’t always easy, she succeeded and aims to keep succeeding. Throughout the years she has made many new friends while retaining her old ones. She teamed up with one of these friends, head football coach and SSO Troy Godinet, in a local dance event. They performed a Polynesian dance together for Dancing with the Reading Stars. Minnie looks back at this as an amazing experience as she not only got to dance with a friend, but she also got to learn a dance from a different culture. She not only won third place, but she also got to raise over $5,000 for the arts at the Oakland Institute for their outreach program.
Minnie’s drive and determination will never allow her to stop giving to others, whether that’s through her own counseling services or her daily advice to people. We asked her if there was anything she’d like to say to current high school students who might be struggling. “Keep fighting. Keep trying. Even on those days that are hard. Keep fighting, Keep trying. Find somebody that you connect to and talk to to get you to that next step and phase in your life. I always like to leave everybody with this: They are so loved, so worthy, so enough, and so unstoppable!”