Brenda was born in Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Guatemala. She speaks Mam (her native language), Spanish and English. She has been in the United States for 17 years and from the age of 12 she began to help her community with translation from Spanish to Mam, and eventually, from English to Mam. One of her goals was to continue supporting and lending a hand to others, especially her Maya Mam community since she has experienced how difficult it is to arrive in a country where one does not know how to speak the language, leaving behind our traditions and culture to achieve the American Dream. With a lot of effort and for the opportunity her parents gave her to have an education, and throughout her time in this country, Brenda completed an associate degree in health sciences and a certificate in Child Development/Teacher Assistant at Merritt College, as well as training as an interpreter and Health Promoter at Asociacion Mayab by Visión y Compromiso. She currently works at CYB La Clínica as a Mental Health Educator. Her projects include creating an Indigenous Youth Circle, community outreach, creating community events with traditional healers, and more. Brenda has always been passionate about taking on roles intended to support or help the Maya Mam and Latinx community and looks forward to doing more for our community and addressing their needs.

Program Assistant, Clinica de la Raza

Crystal earned their BA in Sociology from SFSU and are passionate about traditional medicine and ancestral healing practices. Crystal enjoys tending to the land, being near waterways, listening to music and playing instruments.

A proud first-generation Chicana and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Yanelit was raised in San Pablo, California, and has over 5 years of experience serving underrepresented communities. She earned an Associate’s in Sociology and Certificate in Social Work from Berkeley City College and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from UC Berkeley. Through her own lived experience navigating mental health challenges and the barriers to accessing support as a woman of color, Yanelit has become passionate about mental health care that is holistic, accessible, and culturally responsive.

Through a cultural and trauma-informed lens, Yanelit has worked as a Mental Health Advocate at the Undocumented Community Resource Center, served as a Mental Health Commissioner for Contra Costa County, and interned at Cultura y Bienestar where she organized a traditional dance event and co-facilitated groups. She returned to CYB in 2024 and works as a Behavioral Health Educator. She incorporates cultural sensitivity, trauma-informed practices, and spiritual knowledge in her work and aims to help others tap in to their own power. Outside of her professional work, she is an active dancer in the Son Jarocho community, enjoys spending time with friends, and likes to spend time in nature.

Clery was born and raised in Peru and lived in the Midwest and Los Angeles before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011. She began her career in humanitarian aid and, for the past 12 years, has worked in community mental health, focusing on improving the health and well-being of the Latinx population through a holistic and culturally informed approach. Clery holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Medical Anthropology.

Her experience spans contract management and, more recently, qualitative analysis in community mental health. At CYB, Clery supports coordination and data collection for evaluating CYB services. Her interests include exploring the power of nature, dance, energy healing, and the many forms of self-expression.

Hello, I’m Estefany Lopez, and I’m thrilled to connect with you through Cultura y Bienestar. My journey is driven by a profound commitment to the well-being of young individuals and their families, rooted in the values of family, faith, and personal experiences.

My passion lies in supporting the growth and empowerment of youth, recognizing the unique challenges they face in today’s world. Whether it’s providing guidance, resources, or a listening ear, I approach my work with humility and a dedication to collaboration. My goal is to foster therapeutic relationships built on respect, trust, and genuine empathy, creating a safe space for youth to explore their identities and navigate life’s complexities.

Thank you for considering our services. It would be an honor and privilege for me to walk alongside you on your journey towards mental health and well-being, offering support and encouragement every step of the way.

Alejandra Oviedo is the Clinical Office Assistant for Cultura y Bienestar. Previously, Alejandra was an Academic Mentor for Arise High School in Oakland, CA for 3 years. She mentored 8 classes, mentoring over 200 high school students.

Alberto Perez Rendon is the Program Manager for Cultura y Bienestar since 2020. Previously Alberto worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Instituto Familiar de La Raza designing and implementing programs to increase access to mental health and preventive care for vulnerable communities including the severely mentally ill, homeless, immigrants and Indigenous populations. In 2003, Alberto helped found Asociacion Mayab, a non-profit organization that provides cultural and other social services and programs to the growing Maya immigrant community in San Francisco. Alberto also sat in the board of directors of the Central American Resource Center for almost 6 years and more recently he was part of the City of San Leandro Arts Commission for 4 years where he helped provide financial and otherwise support to local artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alberto earned a medical degree in his home country of Mexico and a Master of Public Health from San Francisco State University. In his free time, Alberto enjoys spending time with his family and tending to his garden at home. Alberto’s other passions include traditional dance, language access activism, 60’s rock music and mid-20th century history documentaries.

Alicia is a proud Chicana, daughter of Mexican immigrants who emigrated to the United States at an early age in hopes to cultivate a better life for themselves and their future kids. She is passionate in serving her community and in empowering each individual that she encounters to find a sense of purpose as she firmly believes that we all possess a gift and should always aim to live our best life and reach our highest self. She embarked on her journey as a Mental Health Educator for youth at La Familia- Cultura y Bienestar in July 2022 and has since learned a lot from her colleagues. Her hobbies are delving into astrology, singing, drawing and spending quality time with her three brothers on Sundays listening to music and cooking delicious food.

Since 2019 Alfredo has been providing preventive services as a mental health educator to Latino families and youth residing in South Alameda County. His experience as a migrant and his professional interest in the health care field have motivated him to continue supporting his community. He promotes mental health in his community through psychoeducational workshops, school-based youth support groups, and community outreach. In addition, Alfredo also offers individual intervention services for children and youth using narrative therapy as a primary tool. Alfredo’s hobbies include caring for his koi fish, birds, rabbits, and doing art projects.

Monica works as a Supervisor/ Mental Health Specialist at Cultura y Bienestar in the Behavioral Health department of Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center. Among her qualifications are her master’s in forensic psychology, City University of New York, New York and her experience in Chile, Brazil and USA working as a Psychologist and Mental Health Specialist with un-served, underserved Latinxs communities. She has a vast professional and academic experience in the topic of immigration, trauma, family conflict/divorce, child custody, social isolation/marginalization and community resilience. Her hobbies are reading, hiking, listening to music and traveling.

Hello My name is Daisy Vargas, and in advance, I would like to express that it would be a pleasure to meet you through our Cultura y Bienestar program. I would like to share with you that my family, my faith, my life experiences, and my commitment to serving are the foundation of my work. Along with these areas, which are so important to me, I have had the blessing of studying and receiving training in the area of social work, specializing in mental health. I am passionate about serving and supporting the well-being and empowerment of children, youth, adults, and families. My priority is to work humbly and as a team with you, to form a therapeutic relationship that is based on respect, trust, and on opportunities for processing and healing what is of most importance to you.
Thank you for learning about our services. For me, it will be an honor and privilege to be able to accompany you on your journey of mental health and well-being, and in the different stages of life that you may find yourself in.

Claudia works as a Supervisor at Cultura y Bienestar in Center and East Alameda County with La Familia. She has her MBA in Health Care Management and in 2021 received her MA in Psychology and is a registered APCC collecting her hours with un-served, underserved Latino communities through the ACCESS Program. She has both personal and professional lived experience and 20 years of supervising within the non-profit realm of programming and services for underserved and underrepresented communities of color. Her hobbies are binge watching crime shows, shopping, hiking, and spending time with my family, friends, and dog-Monita.

Evelia is a Cultura y Bienestar Program Supervisor and Mental Health Educator at La Familia with 13 years of personal and professional lived experience, supporting and providing services for the underserved and underrepresented communities of color with short term prevention and early intervention mental health and traditional healing services. Evelia uses that experience to teach, educate and support our community to develop and obtain a better wellbeing. Evelia’s passion is her job 100%, as well as spending time with her mother, her 3 sons, daughter in law, 2 granddaughters and pets. On her own time she enjoys doing her own acrylic nails, permanent make up, designing and doing different type projects.

Kaitlin Cruz has been at Cultura y Bienestar since 2019 and has been working in community mental health and community-based programs for the past 17 years. She has been working as a Marriage and Family Therapist since 2012. She is passionate about traditional healing, culture-based practices and ancestral healing to maintain and work towards wellness. Kaitlin was born and raised between the San Francisco Bay area and Mexico. Kaitlin enjoys being in nature, being active, creativity and connecting with healing practices.

Liz is a first-gen Chicana who was born and raised in East Los Angeles. She has over a decade of experience working in community mental health in the Latinx community. She received her master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in expressive arts therapy from CIIS and is a licensed marriage & family therapist and began working at Cultura y Bienestar in November of 2022 as a Mental Health Specialist. Liz specializes in traditional healing practices like rose limpias and Mexica energetic healing. Her hobbies include gardening and cultivating relationships with plant allies, yoga, swimming and learning to fall in love with living her best life.

Lourdes Ochoa has served the Latino community of Alameda county promoting fisical, mental, and spiritual health for more than 30 years. She began volunteering in 1992 within the Hayward and San Lorenzo schools and at the Saint Joaquin Church. In 2006 she participare in the training for community health workers at Tiburcio Vasquez where she was a volunteer for 11 years. In 2017 she began working with Cultura y Bienestar providing preventative mental health services to Latinx adults, families, and seniors residing in south Alameda County. Lourdes promotes mental health in the community through psychoeducational workshops and support groups in schools and churches. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and continuing to learn.

Indigenous Maya Yucateco immigrant, Raul was raised in San Francisco’s Mission district and has over a decade of experience working the Latinx and Indigenous community in the Bay Area. He started working at Cultura y Bienestar as Behavioral Health Educator in 2021. Raul is passionate about incorporating traditional medicine, cultural practices and mental health wellness. He currently facilitates psychoeducational workshops and support groups such as Drumming Circles for Wellness, Gardening & Healing workshops, Mindfulness Meditation sessions, Jardin de Amigxs Kids Summer program and is looking forward to projects that integrate sports and mental health wellness. Raul is also a skateboarder, competitive soccer player, and boulders V5’s. He is a happy new parent to two beautiful daughters.