Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Christina Vela.
Dr. Vela, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was the firstborn to an immigrant father from Mexico and a mother that was an only child, had aged out of foster care, and had little to no family. My parents’ lives were far from easy, yet they found strength in each other despite how hard it was to be a bi-racial couple in the early 1970’s. I was raised in the San Fernando Valley along with my loving parents and brothers, and while we did not have lots of money, we had a family rich in love and faith. Growing up, I was raised with a strong value of my Mexican American culture, my very large extended family, and the pride of being a Chicana.
As a child, I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Although I was never a good student, I did want to make my parents proud and to be the first in my family to go to college. However, as life would have it, I faced some tough times. In high school, I found myself pregnant and worried about the direction of my life. Being a young mother was the most important responsibility of my life and to make sure my daughter would have a safe and stable home. Although that time of my life was really hard, being single and facing many problems, I knew I needed to take charge of my life. I was so grateful to be accepted to California State University Northridge and to find some amazing mentors along the way. The day I graduated with my dual bachelor’s of art degrees in Sociology and Chicano-Studies, I thought I would prove to all those people that doubted me that I could do hard things. The beauty of that experience is I realized quickly the most important person to prove that to was me, and I have never looked back. I learned so many valuable lessons that laid the foundation for my life, and I am forever grateful. I have a marriage of over 20 years, 3 incredible children, 2 additional college degrees to include a master’s degree in public administration from UNLV, and my most recent accomplishment is a Doctorate Degree in Public Policy from UNLV.
We moved to Las Vegas 20 years ago, but California will always be my home, the place where my family still lives and I visit often.
For close to 30 years, I have dedicated my life to being of service to others most in need. My social work career started in the San Fernando Valley at Penny Lane Agency, where I supported teen mothers in foster care. I fell in love with the idea that I could share my lived experience to inspire in any way possible. Since those days, I have focused my efforts in supporting child victims of abuse and neglect, young people experiencing homelessness, and most recently focus on caring for child victims of sex trafficking. I have worked for the State of Nevada, Clark County Department of Family Services, the Children’s Bureau in Washington DC, and most recently as the Chief Executive Officer for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. A local nonprofit providing residential care to children in foster care and young people experiencing homelessness, and our most recent project is a new specialized residential campus called the Healing Center to care for child victims of sex trafficking. I really love developing programs for kids that fall through the large gaps in our systems. For example, we passed in the Nevada Legislature the Sibling Bill of Rights and have the only sibling reunification program in the State of Nevada. We hope to inspire some similar work in California.
I am a self-proclaimed Hustler for Hope. I believe that all people have the capacity for change but need a support system of people helping them have hope rise in their lives, start to turn their pain into power and live the life of their dreams while healing from the real effects of abuse, neglect, loneliness, and other challenges. I believe together, everything is possible!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I had many challenges along my journey, including self-doubt, abuse, loneliness, and fear. And yet, in those times, I met some of the most amazing people who cheered me on, who held me accountable, and who believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. Being a single mother, working full time, and going to school full time was not easy, but I survived while learning so many lessons. It is from that place that my passion to serve and help others comes from. I am grateful for all the hard times as that is when I learned the most about myself. I often times think of the 18-year-old Christina, and I am proud of her… those days were not easy, but today, as the confident and accomplished woman I am, I know that is because of her.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am so proud of the courageous conversations I am able to have with elected officials, community leaders, philanthropists, and community members about the needs of those most marginalized, those that feel invisible, and I am proud to do all of this work with authentic passion and belief in the incredible power of change!
I am proud to highlight the intersectionality of childhood adversity, young people in the juvenile justice system, those experiencing homelessness, and child victims of sex trafficking how all of these issues are connected, and how children are impacted by all these systems. I enjoy training and speaking to groups about how to help our children be resilient and how important the role of supportive adults are in their lives!
At St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, I am proud of our 57-year legacy and take seriously my responsibility. I believe as the CEO for the past 6 and a half years I work tirelessly to create pathways to hope and healing for those we serve and also for all of us doing the work! It’s not easy work, and yet still, it is such important work!
Our website is https://stjudesranch.org/
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Hope is an inside-out job… I hope you find topics and people that inspire you to be your very best self… The world is a better place when this happens!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stjudesranch.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_vela23?igsh=NXRma2cwMHludzh2&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christina.vela.23
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drchristinavela23\
