Wednesday, Oct 31, 2018

Vanessa Iglesias Joins CASA as a New Case Coordinator

In order to serve additional foster children, we are excited to welcome our third Case Coordinator, Vanessa Iglesias, who joined CASA on October 15. She is Cuban-American from Oakland. She graduated from UC Davis in 2018 with a double major in Sociology and African-American Studies and a minor in Education.

Vanessa worked with Oakland youth who face multiple barriers to education and employment. She has always been an advocate to education and wellness, and strives to positively impact youth who suffer from the lack of capital needed to successfully transition into adulthood.

As someone who is committed to serving young members of our community, especially those overcoming social hardships, she found CASA of Contra Costa County to be the perfect place for her to extend her knowledge and commitment to community with others. She finds the work and experiences of the volunteers with their youth to be very rewarding. Vanessa says, “I am fortunate to work with CASA of Contra Costa because I am a firm believer in its mission and the help they bring to the youth.”

In her role of a Case Coordinator, Vanessa wants to ensure that the volunteers and their foster youth have a smooth, memorable, and impactful experience by creating a safe space for the volunteer to talk about their experience and for her to learn how to best serve them. Vanessa says, “It will be a continuing learning experience for the volunteer and me, but I believe that by working together we can diminish challenges and become better in our roles as partners for CASA.”

Vanessa believes that the impact of CASA advocacy work for a child in foster care is so great. She says, "Many of the children involved in the foster care system have endured terribly difficult moments in their lives and do not have a stable adult figure. The role of the volunteer is so rewarding for all parties involved. The youth are provided with a positive and influential role model who is there to listen and uplift the child into becoming their best self. Without the hard work and dedication of the CASA volunteer, these children will have difficulty in finding a healthy outlet to release their frustrations, goals, and ideas."

Be sure to say "hi" to Vanessa the next time you're in the office.