Debbie Rocha was born in Barstow, California in 1960, – she grew up in California for much of her childhood before moving to Utah. Considered Hispanic and/or Mexican-American, Debbie identifies as a Chicana. Debbie’s paternal grandparents immigrated from Mexico to Texas after the Mexican Revolution due to pressures from Pancho Villa soldiers. Debbie’s paternal side has lineage from Spain and France while her maternal side has indigenous roots in the Yaqui tribe, though she has no recollection of her maternal family’s migration to Texas.

While Debbie was going through the educational  system, she described being in predominantly white institutions with little-to-no students of color. Once moving to Utah, Debbie was surrounded by predominantly White Latter-Day Saints at her school, which she found difficult to fit in because of her Catholic faith, a strong tie in her family lineage. After graduating high school, Debbie went on to pursue her bachelor's degree at Westminster College taking on higher education after her brother, who was the first in her family to attend college. Debbie gravitated towards social work during her undergraduate studies, just like her brother who earned his social work degree and became a probation officer.

During her undergraduate years, she was torn between business administration and social work. In the end, she ultimately decided to remain with social work as a career choice. After graduating, Debbie went on to work as a counselor in a youth group home comprised primarily of children of color, which was overseen by the Juvenile Justice Services. However, during her time with Juvenile Justice Services Debbie noticed how youth’s safety was not guaranteed while staying there, which led to additional adversities for system-impacted youth. Because of that, Debbie and her colleagues banded together and pushed for reform to prevent youth from being harmed. After working with Juvenile Justice services as a case manager and a coordinator, Debbie went on to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Utah and worked as a therapist with groups and families. She was also a recipient of the Chicano Scholarship at the University of Utah. Now retired, working with children from Juvenile Justice Services to becoming a school counselor, Debbie prides in her Chicana identity as her way to connect with youth through shared identities, stories, and culture.