By Sara Blake
“You know what you should do? You should volunteer with me!”
Yanira tells everyone in her life who asks her about CASA the same thing – “Don’t overcomplicate it! Just do it!”
Yanira was studying criminal justice at Texas State University when she first encountered CASA. “I looked them up and immediately knew this was something I wanted to do.” Not long after, Yanira attended an information session and applied to become a volunteer – squeezing it in alongside final exams and graduation.
Now, about a year and a half into her CASA journey, she has served on a long-term case while also taking on numerous Early Family Engagement cases.
Much of Yanira’s family still lives in Mexico, where she spent much of her childhood in Celaya, Guanajuato. She was born in Austin but moved to Mexico when she was young, returning to Texas around age 3 or 4 to begin school. Her parents divorced when she was growing up, and her mother largely raised her and her two younger sisters. Today, her father has recently come back into their lives, and Yanira describes her family as “something they are continuing to build together.”
Her sisters remain especially close. Yanira loves being an aunt to her sister’s children, and credits that role as helping prepare her for building rapport with children on her cases.
Now, about a year and a half into her CASA journey, she has served on a long-term case while also taking on numerous Early Family Engagement cases.
On a recent case, Yanira and her supervisor advocated strongly for the child to be placed with a family member, even when others involved in the case wanted a different placement. Because CASA didn’t give up, the difference has been remarkable.
“It’s so much deeper than what happens in the courtroom,” she explains. “Advocating for placement changes and educational help is just a piece of what we do. But most of the time, it’s just listening to a kid who needs someone.
“They’re thriving now!” Yanira says.
They’re also learning quickly after returning to school. They are speaking more confidently and coming out of their shell. Along the way, Yanira also discovered they could connect over video games and basketball. She kept notes about the things they told her, even texting their relative for the latest basketball updates so she could keep up with their interests.
“It’s so much deeper than what happens in the courtroom,” she explains. “Advocating for placement changes and educational help is just a piece of what we do. But most of the time, it’s just listening to a kid who needs someone.
And for a child in the child welfare system, having that consistent presence of a volunteer who will listen and advocate for their best interest during a very difficult time in their life is crucial. “we get to show them they aren’t alone anymore. How amazing is that?”
