Personal y Comité

Robert was born and raised in Queens, NY. He served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2012. During his enlistment, he deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and 2009. He earned a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from Penn State in 2014.

Robert has experience working with nonprofits and he hopes to use his extensive experience in technology and logistics to help grow the TeleHealth program.

In his free time, Robert enjoys rock climbing, kayaking, reading, watching movies, and spending time with his wife.

Sofia is originally from Portland, OR. She relocated with her family to North Carolina in 2007 and has called it her home ever since. Sofia studied Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, and while there, worked as an editor for two publications and honed her skills in newspaper and magazine writing and photojournalism. Sofia has always been interested in the healthcare field, and has a passion for mental healthcare access. Sofia’s father is from Argentina and so she speaks some Spanish but looks forward to practicing more as a Futurista. She’s excited to help make a difference in our community by supporting the work we do for the Latinx families we serve! When Sofia isn’t at work, she loves to cross stitch, bake, play guitar and hike at local spots. 

As El Futuro’s first AmeriCorps member, Ashley will complete a 6-month service term as our Community Outreach and Safety Coordinator. Ashley grew up in northern Virginia and the panhandle of West Virginia, though has been a North Carolina resident since 2014. Through study abroad opportunities in Germany and Spain, she became engrossed in foreign languages and cultures. In 2012, Ashley earned a BA in International Studies and Spanish at West Virginia University, while minoring in German. She subsequently completed her master’s degree in Hispanic Studies at Virginia Tech. Medicine has also always been a subject of personal intrigue for Ashley. Though she initially focused on her formal field of study, she continued exploring medicine by working on the periphery of healthcare. In 2016, during her AmeriCorps term at Alliance Medical Ministry as a Community Garden and Wellness Program Coordinator, as well as through her work leading the Spanish Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Program, she realized she could merge her passions for medicine, cultural studies, and social sustainability into a career. Ashley continues to work part-time as a medical scribe in Duke University Hospital’s Emergency Department and aspires to use her cross-cultural studies to become a physician assistant in the local community. Through her position at El Futuro, she hopes to use her experiences to nurture stronger familias, serving our patients, as well as the general Latinx community. In her free time, Ashley enjoys Latin dance, hiking, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband, four cats, and four chihuahuas.

Leigh tiene tres hijos y a veces sus pasatiempos — la gimnasia, el voleibol, el ballet y la equitación — también se convierten en los pasatiempos de ella. Para ella, su pasatiempo principal es mantenerse en contacto con sus amigos.

Triana was born and raised in Cartagena, Colombia where she completed her undergraduate education, obtaining a Computer Systems Engineering degree from La Fundación Universitaria Politécnico GranColombiano. Her first formal work experience was as a project manager at ECOPETROL, the national Columbian oil company. In 2009 Triana relocated to the Raleigh area and has resided here ever since. In 2010 Triana began working at the Latino Community Credit Union, where she witnessed the many struggles that the Latino population, and specially the undocumented portion of this population, face.

In her free time, Triana enjoys going to the movies, running, riding bikes and spending time with her husband and two kids, here and in her native Columbia.

Francisco had the privilege to grew up in an altruistic household in The Dominican Republic. His father was a community leader and always exhibited genuine concern for the welfare of others. As the mayor of their hometown, during his political career, his father often put the needs of others and that of society first. He was very influential for Francisco and his siblings, and his legacy of promoting social welfare became a moral goal for his family. It is within this context that Francisco feels called to be compassionate and loving with people. Over the years, he has been involved in many social justice issues that have confirmed his interest in social work. Much of his professional experience has included responsibilities such as case management and community health education, centered upon improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. While living in New York, Francisco finished the social work program at New York University and worked as a clinical counselor in the field of substance use. It was a privilege to start his career in a city like New York, but he permanently relocated to Durham in March with his wife and daughter to be closer to family. One of the key issues facing the Latino community is the lack of culturally responsive mental health services, and he is very excited to participate in El Futuro’s effort to help fulfill this need.

In his free time, Francisco enjoys woodworking projects, playing pool, cooking ethnic food, and dancing salsa.

Luck first brought her to North Carolina — when she came to visit for her sister’s engagement party she fell in love with the mountains and nature and packed her bags right when she got back to Texas. After serving as the Durham Clinic Manager for El Futuro, she decided she wanted to learn more about how to serve the Latinx population in the area and pursued her Masters at UNC.  

She’s excited to be working with Courtney Pope along with other staff working on a variety of projects so she can continue to learn and have conversations about our mission.

In her free time, Lissette enjoys checking out restaurants and coffee shops, learning how to cook, going on hikes, and hanging out with friends. 

Cuando tenía 18 años, Juan hizo una pasantía en la unidad hospitalaria para niños y adolescentes de Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.  Esto lo impulsó a querer trabajar con casos de patologías más severas. Esta experiencia también hizo que quisiera hacer un doctorado. Antes de venir a El Futuro, Juan completo su pasantía predoctoral en el Trinity’s Regional Medical Center en Elizabeth, NJ.  En su tiempo libre a Juan le gusta jugar y mirar fútbol – es fanático de Liverpool- , viajar como mochilero y pasar tiempo con Francis y Clara, sus gatos.

Katy grew up in Carthage, NC — a tobacco farming town South of the Triangle. She attended Davidson College for her undergraduate degree and is now a fourth year Psychiatry resident at UNC School of Medicine. This is Katy’s second time at El Futuro — she also did a residency here during the second year of her program!

Katy’s dedication to psychiatry comes out of her realization that whole-body health often has to start with sound behavioral health — you can’t work on someone’s diabetes if they’re too depressed to make lifestyle changes. She especially likes working with Spanish-speaking populations because of how much being able to deliver treatments in their native language means to these clients. 

In her free time, she fosters border collies with her husband, knits, sews, weaves, and crochets, and spends a lot of time outdoors — also with the dogs!