Jennifer Y. Ortiz

Jennifer is a first generation American for whom the importance of finding identity through storytelling is infused in her DNA.  She grew up all over the world with a Spanish mother and Guatemalan father who served in the US Air Force.  Her early education involved learning English in school, which she did mostly through reading.  Whether living stateside or abroad, she found comfort in the stories she read as she expanded her vocabulary.

 

Her family eventually found a home in Melbourne, Florida, where Jennifer graduated high school and earned a Congressional appointment to attend the Air Force Academy.  Though she had a rocky start, being placed on academic probation, she graduated in 1999 on both the Dean’s and Commandant’s lists.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies with a minor in Spanish.  During her active-duty service, she worked in Special Operations where her literary abilities were used to write and edit many Air Force-level award-winning packages for her unit and personnel.

 

Jennifer left the Air Force to attend the University of Central Florida where she studied mental health counseling with a focus on marriage and family therapy.  She has a master’s degree in Counselor Education and currently holds a license in mental health counseling in the State of Florida.  Throughout her work with children and families, she has used books and narration therapy as a road to healing and understanding oneself.  The power of embracing your story and sharing it is something Jennifer is passionate about. 

 

Though her family continues to live all around the world, Jennifer continues to make her home in Melbourne, FL.  She has switched her focus to early childhood development where books and reading, as a way to make sense of this chaotic world, continues to be the best therapy of all.