Morgan Huenergarde is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in School Psychology at the University of Memphis. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from the University of the Cumberlands in 2019 and has previously studied abroad in Costa Rica to improve her language abilities. Her clinical and research interests focus on Active Bilingual Learners/Users of English (ABLE) students and the policy and practice in the schools for these students. She completed her thesis on nationwide accommodation allowances on state-testing for students who speak a language other than English and will complete her dissertation on the identification and reclassification policies for ABLE students nationwide. She aspires to continue to work with children and families who speak Spanish, conducting psychological evaluations and providing adequate consultation and intervention. She is very thankful for the training and clinical experience she received during the PASEO program, especially the opportunity to work in the schools with youth, and hopes to be able to provide culturally-informed mental health services in Spanish with the Hispanic and Latinx community.

Kristin is a first-year student at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. She has loved the Spanish language since she was young. When she realized she could further develop those skills and put them to use serving populations who face significant lack of access to mental and physical health services, it became a central part of her mission to work toward that goal. She volunteered as a bilingual crisis counselor Crisis Text Line, and is now a part of the first class of Dartmouth’s new medical Spanish track, with the hopes of graduating qualified to offer care to Spanish speakers without a translator. She also works with Project Salud, providing vaccinations and basic health screenings to migrant workers on dairy farms in New Hampshire and Vermont. During PASEO she discovered a deep love for Peru. Before she ever left she dreamt of returning, and will be returning to Trujillo in the summer of 2023 to volunteer with Sayariy Resurgiendo as part of her school’s Global Health Equity Fellowship program.

Miriam is a 4th year student in the Clinical Psychology program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Seattle University and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology from George Washington University. Miriam works as a professor, a therapist, and a researcher. Her interest in psychology started with an acknowledgement of the severe lack of quality mental health services for racially, ethnically, and linguistically minoritized communities in the U.S. Miriam’s research focuses on quantifying disparities in access to mental health care and examining how bilingualism, language proficiency, and acculturation impact the results of psychological assessments. Clinically, she works with trauma-exposed youth at the intersection of psychology and the legal system, providing evidence-based intervention and psychological assessment. Since attending PASEO, Miriam has been able to start seeing assessment clients in Spanish and provide much-needed services to primarily Spanish-speaking youth in foster care. Miriam continues to apply the linguistic and clinical skills she learned in Peru and credits PASEO with increasing her confidence to use Spanish in professional settings.

Sara Chaves is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Certified serving as a Managing Counselor with a nonprofit in Maryland. She graduated with a Master of Social Work from Salisbury University. As an undergraduate, Sara double majored in Sociology and Spanish. Sara has over twelve years of experience advocating and supporting survivors of mental, physical, and emotional trauma from domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking. She is passionate about serving marginalized communities, especially Hispanic and Latinx populations. Sara strives to be a culturally competent and aware bilingual therapist that provides services to survivors of trauma. PASEO provided her the opportunity to enhance her Spanish-speaking skills to better serve the Hispanic and Latinx populations. She continues to utilize the clinical interventions and skills learned through the PASEO program.

Maria Palumbo has a Masters' degree in social work from Portland State University, and is currently on a track for clinical licensure. She is currently working as a bilingual mental health therapist at a nonprofit in Hood River, Oregon, called The Next Door. The Next Door serves low-income populations in over 50 community programs. Maria specializes in working with young people ages 10-26, although her primary focus is teenagers. Eighty percent of Maria's caseload is Spanish-speaking families, and she credits Paseo for giving her the confidence to do clinical work in Spanish. During her Paseo experience, Maria was able to make Peruvian friends in Trujillo interested in mental health. She is still in touch with them, and one friend has been taking a lot of free mental health webinars to educate herself and her community. Another friend decided to try talk therapy, even though he was unfamiliar with therapeutic practices since Peru is far behind other countries in mental health treatment. Maria loves the international exchange of ideas, and she plans to return to Peru in 2025.