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 strength 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.
Juliana Lozano, MSW, LCSWA
Founder & CEO
Colombian American
Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina
Jazmin Aguilar Hermosillo
Administrative Assistant and Family Social Navigator
Mexican American
Bachelor of Sociology from UNCG
Meet The Board Members

Andrea Mora, MPH
Co-Founder, President & Treasurer
Mexican American
Master of Public Health from Liberty University

Jessica Hammond
Support Services
Mexican/African American
Certified Community Health Worker (CHW), Studying Social Work at JCSU

Emily Chaskelson
Support Services Committee
ELL Teacher-Myers Park High School
University of Kansas
Masters Degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Emily is from Kansas City and has resided in Charlotte since 2006.

Mary Kate Finnigan, NP
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)

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 is from Columbia, SC

Geraldine Arias
Community Outreach Committee
Public Notary
Geraldine came to the U.S. at age 8 from Colombia.

Courtney Moore, BSW
Community Outreach Committee
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from JCSU
Courtney is a North Carolina native and has been a social worker for 15 years.

Melissa Rendon
Support Services Committee
Bank of America
Colombian American
Our Staff

