Graduate Crafting Career on Helping Children

Craftsmanship runs in the Arceo family. 

While her father has been an exceptional woodcarver for decades, Tania Arceo focuses on painting. But not in the way one would expect.

A child and adolescent development major at Cal State San Marcos, Arceo has spent the last year and a half working with Voices for Children, a nonprofit organization where volunteers are trained to become court-appointed special advocates (CASAs). Volunteers like Arceo represent juvenile dependency cases in San Diego County.

“I'm basically their companion and their voice,” Arceo said. “I have the honor of getting to understand their stories and represent them in front of the judge during the various court cases and meetings that we have.” 

Arceo is making a strong impact on the foster youth that she represents. She focuses on displaying a unique visual element of the children, allowing the judges to understand them better.  

“They're typically this black-and-white file,” Arceo said. “The judge really wants to know who the child is at their core, what is in their best interest, so I paint their picture. And it's important to paint that part of the picture for everybody so that they can understand these children and their behaviors. Sometimes they act in a certain way, and we label that as negative or we label the child as struggling. But all that child really needs is somebody to invest in them a little bit of attention.” 

As someone who deals with imposter syndrome, Areceo had an eye-opening experience when she realized how much of an impact she makes on the children. 

“I try to highlight them in court. I talk to them about all their strengths, their differing abilities, and I give recommendations on what the best placement for them is,” Arceo said. “To my surprise, every single time that I've gone to court, my suggestions are the ones chosen.” 

Arceo had to go through a month of training to be part of Voices for Children. That period helped her understand the different situations she might face. She also was trained in court report writing. 

Areceo feels such a connection for these kids because of her past experiences. Born in Tijuana, Areceo and her family moved to San Diego when she was just 6 months old. Her father was offered a job at a factory, which prompted the family’s move. 

Arceo’s father was offered the job due his work as a woodcarver. He was orphaned by the time he was 14 and, being the oldest of six siblings, he took on the responsibility to care for the family. 

With this new burden, her father looked toward the art of woodcarving to make ends meet. 

“He would stop by these wood shops and he would hang out for a while before they would shoo him away,” Arceo said. “Eventually they told them, ‘If you're gonna hang out here, then might as well put you to use,’ and they started teaching him carpentry. He really fell in love with it and started engaging with the art of woodcarving.”

Arceo’s father is attracted to woodcarving in large part because of the magic he finds in the wood and the story it tells. 

For Arceo’s upcoming graduation, her father used his skills to show admiration for his daughter being the first in the family to graduate from college. The wooden gift points out important characteristics of her journey at CSUSM.

While his woodcarving talent brought the Arceo family to the United States, it continues to forge a connection between Arceo and her father. 

“I do woodworking as a kind of side hobby, more so to spend time with my dad,” Arceo said.  “I want to spend time with him and listen to his stories.” 

Arceo’s father is interested in mythology and Mexican culture, and Arceo loves to listen to him share his knowledge on the subjects. Since he did not have access to education or amenities such as a library, Arceo believes she owes it to him to pursue higher education. 

“The fact that they were able to bring me here and allow me to open up these doors for myself, I know that it means so much to my parents," she said. "I could do something that they didn't have the opportunity to do.” 

Arceo will wrap up this chapter at commencement this weekend. But she’ll be back on campus in the fall as part of the Master of Social Work program as she looks toward a career with Child Protective Services. 

Her family will be cheering her on in the crowd while she gets her diploma, and they will continue to cheer her on no matter what she does next.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314