Bilingual Service Coordinator/Adult Counselor
I started with Gateway in 1994 and worked with the crisis line for three years. In 1997 I was promoted to the position of non-residential bilingual counselor. I will be celebrating my 27th anniversary with Gateway, in December of this year.
I’m proud that I was able to locate additional services in the community for our clients, including immigration, pro-bono attorneys, etc. I reached out to hospitals, school parent-teacher organizations, hospitals, and companies. They all needed training and education/information on how to recognize and work with victims/survivors of DV. I was invited to speak about DV to the different local Spanish TV stations, Spanish Radio Stations, and lots of companies in the metro area.
At that time Gateway Shelter was not a bilingual agency. I am a pioneer of the Spanish Speaking support groups I started. It was initially a hard road to walk due to my inexperience as a DV counselor, but I received lots of encouragement from clients and Gateway team members. Gateway became a “Bilingual Agency” and my caseload reached an incredible number of 75 clients.
During all these years working in the DV field, I have had many great accomplishments that keep me going and inspire me to continue working with survivors for a better life, free of violence.
Working at Gateway has been very challenging – we have had a lot of growth in the agency. The respect and consideration I’ve received from the staff, and the rewarding words from clients make it possible for me to work at Gateway Domestic Violence services with great honor.
I am a happy and positive human that enjoys art: music, dancing, painting, jewelry making, travel, and reading. I’m proud of my love for my daughter, husband, three grandchildren (Lila, Brooke, and Sawyer), my son in law and my stepsons, plus the rest of my big family!