Mom Life Is
Easier Together

Lucy is a first-generation graduate from Sacramento State. She is a proud Latina that expresses her passion to help people in the community. Lucy has worked with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum as well as mental disabilities. Her experience with these disabilities has helped her support young moms and their children with educational goals and life skills. She hopes to encourage young woman to reach their full potential for themselves and their children.

Fany Aguilera is a first-generation college graduate from Oakland, CA. Fany has a comprehensive background working with people experiencing housing instability, mental health challenges and empowering survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault to heal from trauma and reach self-sufficiency. Fany’s background provides a unique experience that is able to offer members empathy, provide a safe space to create change and empower members to meet their personal goals. Fany’s goal is to provide whole person individualized care and provide members with the tools needed to identify barriers, create change and achieve self-sufficiency.

Alexis F. is a queer identifying first gen graduate who grew up in the Sacramento region.  She graduated from CSU Long Beach with a degree in gender studies and has worked with grassroots organizations in Los Angeles,Chicago and Philadelphia for human rights, climate change and education. She has a passion for connecting with people, especially the youth. She is excited to be in community with young mothers to provide trauma informed support and intuitive guidance.

My name is Karolina Cabanillas and am a first-time mommy of a baby girl. I am Hispanic and the eldest of 4 children. My family and I are from Sinaloa, Mexico and are very proud of our roots. I am bilingual and love to help my community with any resources I might have.

I have been working with various non-profit organizations for over 8 years now. I have worked with K-12, migrant families and elderly people. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to help my community and our future generations. I am a firm believer that a strong community outweighs everything else. The sky is the limit and I wish to continue spreading that energy to the community.

I am very excited to see what the future holds here at Shine and am very excited to be a part of the journey as an advocate. I am motivated to make a positive impact and am looking forward to serving my community. My door will always be open so please don’t hesitate to reach out for anything.

Cecilia was born and raised in Fresno, CA. In 2022, she graduated from California State University, Fresno with a bachelor’s degree in Child Development. As a member of Shine, Cecilia is eager to connect and grow alongside young mothers and their children. Her goals as a Child Care Assistant include creating an environment that encourages learning and exploration. Cecilia believes engaging in meaningful interactions with young children is crucial to their development. Children constantly develop and discover new information about themselves and those around them.

 

Cecilia enjoys painting and taking walks in her free time. She also cherishes the time she gets to spend with her family.

I was born in Hayward, lived in American Samoa for a time and raised in San Jose. Being a first generation college student, I realized my passion in helping others and thriving in a 'it takes a village' mentality in my work in youth development. In my career, I have developed my sense of helping to support underserved communities and being a catalyst in wanting to empower others by focusing on community assets. I earned my Bachelors in Sociology from San Francisco State University in 2015 and am an Americorps member as well. I am hoping to eventually earn my Masters in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work or Social Work.

 

During my free time I enjoy working out, roller blading, playing basketball/volleyball, live music, karaoke, cooking, camping/backpacking, hiking, and being out in nature!

Cecilia Bueno Moreno (she/her). I was born and raised in San Jose, CA. I have a bachelor's in Sociology from Stanislaus State. I joined Shine in December 2022. I'm happy to be part of the Shine team because I've always loved to help the community and empower others. By being an advocate, I can support young mothers to achieve their goals. In addition, I have six years of experience working with youth. You can find me spending time with my family in my free time. Family is important to me. Another hobby is trying new foods and being adventurous.

“I have joined the team in early September of 2022. I have experience serving numerous underserved populations from all ages and backgrounds; through my time working with non-profits from the past 6 years.

I was born and raised in the “Garlic Capital” of the world, Gilroy. Growing up I have always had the passion to support my communities and empower the youth. I believe our youth are tomorrows future and the only way to impact change is through education, support, and guidance. As a first-generation Latina, I was not guided a path, I believe it’s my responsibility now to pass down my expertise and knowledge to others to empower and assure them of their true potential.

I am currently pursuing my degree in Sociology, with the ambition to become a family and marriage therapist.

In my spare time I enjoy staying active by playing soccer, reading, baking, and traveling to new places.

Hello my name is Vanessa Padilla but you can call me Ness/Nessa for short. I am 26 and was born and raised in Fresno, Ca. I have a Bachelors in Criminology-Corrections from Fresno State University. I myself was a apart of Teen Success back in 2012 when I was once a Teen Mom. I have an 11 year old son that means the entire world to me. My passion in life is just to simply help people in any way possible. Being able to be someone’s advocate and provide resources to those in need really drives me to be more involved and fully dedicated to my community. Having the opportunity to make a full circle in life by now being apart of this organization as an Advocate really means so much to me. Teen Success was a huge part of my life not only in helping me become the best mother I could possibly be but also shaping me into the person I am today. As much as I’m excited to be apart of this team and show what I have to offer I’m most excited to learn from the mothers I get to work with.

3 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:

-DIE HARD 49ER FAN

-TRAIN IN JIU JITSU & MUAY THAI

-VERY FAMILY ORIENTED

Having overcome adverse life events, Jennaliz learned that she wanted to advocate for others so that they can become resilient. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development with an emphasis in Community. She has extensive experience with children of all ages. In addition to direct service work within the nonprofit sector. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and being physically active. She is passionate about fitness, advocacy, creative outlets and loves fashion!

Rosita was born and raised in Fresno California. She earned her bachelor's degree from California State University, Fresno in 2017. Rosita has over 6 years working with youth. She is passionate about creating change because of the lived experiences she has faced.

During her free time, you can find Rosita having fun with her niece and listening to true crime podcast.