Dec 12, 2024 CSUCI staff member/alumna plays young Jenni Rivera in a major motion picture about the superstar's life

Dec. 12, 2024 - A CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) alumna and current employee is appearing in a major motion picture about music superstar Jenni Rivera, who succeeded in the male-dominated world of banda, mariachi, and norteño genres of regional Mexican music.

STEM Transfer Outreach Coordinator Tatiana Juarez, who graduated with a degree in Health Science, plays young Jenni Rivera in the movie "Jenni," which was released Friday, Dec. 6 in select theaters and on a bilingual streaming service called ViX.

Juarez, who is part of the first generation in her family to earn a college degree, was born in Ventura and raised in Oxnard. Her parents grew up in the U.S. after being brought here from Mexico as children. Juarez's mom works as a medical clerk and her dad works a variety of jobs related to construction and architecture.

"They've always worked hard to make sure my two siblings and I had a great education and had lots of extracurricular activities," Juarez said. "If we wanted to try something like sports or pageants, they always said 'yes.'"

After graduating, Juarez joined the staff at CSUCI and began working with a program called Project AYUDAS, which stands for "Articulating Your Undergraduate Degree & Academic Success in STEM" and is designed to increase the number of Latina/o and low-income students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

"Tati's story and drive is so inspiring and iconic," said Student Academic Success & Equity Initiatives (SASEI) Project AYUDAS Director, Sandra Birmingham. "She's passionate about creating pathways for first-generation and Latinx students like her to succeed in higher education, especially in STEM. Tati's out there breaking barriers and amplifying voices from underrepresented communities in everything she does, both at CSUCI and in her acting career."

As difficult as it is to break into Hollywood, Juarez knew there were even more barriers for Latinas, so she signed up for as many acting classes as she could and sent emails to her wish list of agents. One finally replied and she signed on with the agency. Then, she researched acting classes until she came across a Latina casting director who had cast a lot of independent films, Natalie Ballesteros.

"I thought if she's offering a class, I want to sign up and see what I can do and learn from her," Juarez said. "The very next day, her casting team, ABL Casting, emailed me and my agent and wanted to know if I wanted to audition for 'Jenni,' the movie."

The audition was extensive, but Juarez was up for the challenge. On Feb. 2 - her birthday - she got the call that she had gotten the part. She would play the younger version of Jenni, from 12 to 16 years old and actress Annie Gonzalez would play adult Jenni.

"They flew me out to Colombia in South America to film for a month," Juarez said. "It was so fun and so nerve-wracking. I spent a lot of time on set, but there was also a lot of time to get to know the city."

Rivera channeled her tough beginnings into her music and became the most successful female artist in the male-dominated banda genre as well as a reality TV star (I Love Jenni), businesswoman, and activist. But her life was cut short in 2012 when she was killed in a plane crash on a flight back home after a performance in Mexico.

"I felt like I got to know her doing this part," Juarez said. "She went through a lot. Her father pushed her to sing, and she had moments when she was alone and felt a lot of anxiety. She ended up getting pregnant at 15 and suffered from domestic abuse. That was the hardest part to film, but it was an honor to be able to do this. Her resilience is so important to show young women."

As her screen name, Juarez uses "Tatiana Alicia Beltrán" in honor of her grandfather, Saul Beltrán, who died 11 years ago, and loved Jenni Rivera.

After attending the film's premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Oct. 21, she's now back at her job at CSUCI, where she said she gained the confidence to go after all of her dreams.

"CSUCI helped me tremendously," Juarez said. "My communication skills are good, and a lot of people I worked with - producers and production assistants - said they loved my professionalism. I learned all of this through the Student Academic Success and Equity Initiatives team."

Juarez said she plans to continue to pour her energy into both her job at CSUCI and acting.

"I realized I had done what I wanted to do academically, and honored what my parents had sacrificed for, and now I wanted to be an actress. I'm auditioning when I can, but I also love higher education," Juarez said. "And I love giving Latinx students opportunities. I'm looking for the perfect mix of both."