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About Us

Despierta is a non-profit agency founded in Charlotte, NC. It was birthed out of passion to help the Latina community thrive. Being that Latinas are a very underserved population in Charlotte, we aim to empower Latinas by providing support services that can help individuals thrive and strengthen families.  

 The issue that was identified when working with Latina immigrants was primarily the lack of knowledge and access to community resources due to language barriers, low education levels, poverty, lack of social support, mistrust of the community, and other cultural barriers.

 

Our goal at Despierta is to be place where women can acquire the proper and effective tools to become self sufficient and resilient within the community. Immigrants suffer specific stressors and barriers related to establishing a new life in a foreign country. Despierta believes every Latina woman, regardless of her legal status, should have the support needed to thrive in our community.

We must RISE.

Bonita Rising Youth Program Director 

Salvadoran American

Bachelor of Social Work from UNC Charlotte

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Heidy Argueta

Founder & Executive Director  
Colombian American 
Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina

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Juliana Lozano, MSW, LCSWA

Mujer Despierta Program Director
 

Mexican American
 

Bachelor of Sociology from UNCG

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Jazmin Hermosillo-Aguilar, CHW

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Maria Rodriguez

Admin Assistant/ Multimedia Specialist 
Mexican
Bachelor of Psychology from UNC Charlotte

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Duong Pham

Digital Media Coordinator 
Vietnamese-Filipino
Bachelor of Advertising from UF

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Chantal Coutu

Community Outreach Coordinator
Venezuelan

Bachelor of Social Work from UNCC

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Donna Johnson

Executive Coaching | Board Consultant
American
Bachelor in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University
Master in Education from Capella University
Currently pursuing a doctorate in Public Leadership from Capella University

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Melissa (Metcalf) Le Roy

Chief Financial Officer
Bachelor in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies at Western Carolina University

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Mileya Williams

Despierta Intern
High School Junior
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Veronica Corral

Despierta Intern Therapist
Currently - Masters in Clinical Mental Health at UNCC
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Sadia Upright, PhD,  LCMHC, CA, BCS, CSOT

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Board Certified Clinical Sexologist
Certified Juvenile & Adult Sex Offender Therapist
Forensic Psychology Specialist
Sex Therapist
Traumatologist

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Meet The Board Members

Meet Our team!

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Emily Chaskelson

Support Services Committee
ELL Teacher-Myers Park High School

University of Kansas 

Masters Degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte 

 

Emily was born and raised in Kansas City, spent some time in Chicago, and has resided in Charlotte since 2006. Her love of language and culture has driven her career, teaching English as a second language for nearly two decades. Emily ensures that her students have access to the tools and resources they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

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Courtney Buggs, MSW, LCSWA

Community Outreach Committee

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Winthrop University

Master of Social Work (MSW) from University of South Carolina

Courtney was born and raised in Columbia, SC, and has lived in Charlotte since 2015. Her educational and professional background reflects her passion for working with diverse cultures. She currently serves as a Social Work Supervisor in the Atrium Health Women's Care Division, where she supports women on a daily basis.

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Secretary & Health Education Committee

-Master of Science- Family Practice Nursing from Frontier Nursing University

-Bachelor of Science- RN from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center 

-Specialties: Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN)

Mary Kate Finnigan, NP 

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Lissette Velez

Board Member

Chief Strategy Officer of Velez Strategies

 

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Ivette Ceballos MPH BSN RN

Board President 

RN Program Coordinator 

Levine Cancer Institute 

 

Master of Public Health 

Columbia Southern University

 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing 

Georgian Court University 

 

Ivette was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. Moved to the Queen city area back in 2018. Ivette's true passion lies in working with Hispanic/Latino communities and ensuring they have access to resources that empower them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

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