Lorena remembers the exact moment she knew her life’s purpose. She was lying on a cot in an emergency shelter – after months of couch surfing – when she realized that people should not have to live this way. “When I grow up, I’m going to fix it,” Lorena recalls thinking. “I was young – 16 or so – and idealistic.” She would go on to spend most of her high school years on friends’ couches, in emergency youth shelters, and a group home.
When Lorena did grow up, trying to find ways to “fix it,” or even help, was incredibly disillusioning. Suggestions for how she, a young woman, could help her community ranged from volunteering in soup kitchens, to working in a shelter, or becoming a real estate agent. Lorena tried all of these approaches, and while they were all important pieces of the solution, they did not feel like her calling. She wanted to fix the system that was failing so many Americans.
The first to attend college in her family, Lorena attained degrees in social psychology and ethnic studies to better understand how community and culture play a role in belonging and stability, as well as a dual master’s degree in public and nonprofit administration to learn how to best leverage and balance the two sectors. These academic pursuits equipped her with a broad and integrated perspective on how government policy and funding, community planning, and nonprofit direct service intersect and impact community ecosystems.
Lorena’s experiences exposed her to the systemic barriers that prevent many Americans from thriving. Overcoming these challenges, she emerged determined to prevent others from enduring similar hardships. Her firsthand experience brings a unique empathy and understanding to her work, driving her to champion inclusive policies and systems to uplift everyone, especially our nation’s most vulnerable.
Today, as the CEO of Balance Community Advisors, Lorena uses her story to advocate for systemic change and to inspire others that may be experiencing hardships similar to those that she once endured, serving as proof that we all have something to contribute, and that one’s beginnings do not have to define their future.
