On September 15, 2023, El Futuro received the prestigious Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Mexican Government for the service provided to its diaspora. The Ohtli Award recognizes and appreciates those who have helped, empowered, improved, or positively influenced the experiences of Mexican nationals residing in the United States. The Mexican Consulate selects one person or organization each year, and they chose El Futuro this year. Luke Smith, our Executive Director; Mary Jones, our Manager of Client Care and Engagement; and Luis Alvarez, Co-Chair, had the honor to accept this award at the celebration of Mexican Independence Day hosted by the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh. “It was such a special night! Because of you we are able to do this great work – thank you!!”, said Luke.
Ohtli, in the Nahuatl language, means “road” or “pathway,” at El Futuro, we pride ourselves in forging new pathways for Latinos in mental health services. For 20 years, El Futuro has dedicated itself to breaking down barriers and increasing access to mental health care services in the Latino community. At El Futuro, we provide bilingual and culturally responsive mental health services to nurture stronger families to live out their dreams. In 2022 alone, we served over 2,000 people and provided over 13,000 treatments with a success rate of 93% clinical improvement, where individuals reported experiencing decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance use, ADHD, etc. Every person in our team at El Futuro is passionate about helping the Latino community, our immigrant brothers and sisters. We are grateful for the opportunity to enhance the lives of Latinos by providing treatments and an environment that allows them to improve their mental health, thrive, pursue, and achieve their aspirations for their future.
This award celebrates everyone who makes El Futuro possible. The award serves as a testament to the collective efforts of all those who contribute to the realization of this organization. El Futuro is what it is today because of all the hands that have supported and continue to support the organization. Thank you to every person who has made this possible and everyone who took part in selecting El Futuro for this award. We are incredibly grateful for the recognition and will continue to work hard to contribute to Mexican nationals’ health and well-being.
Article written by Candy Moreira BSN RN
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD