Pathways Fellows

Karyn is a Day Treatment Child & Family Therapist at Washburn Center for Children and graduated with her Master’s in Social Work in 2016. Karyn chose a profession in children’s mental health because it is the intersection of her two passions: social justice and youth work. Karyn has enjoyed cohort meetings as an opportunity to share clinical knowledge, professional development opportunities and serve as a support network. Karyn believes that connecting with other therapists of color will be invaluable. Pathways will be a place  to connect with others who share similar passions. Karyn’s other passions include: singing to Hamilton, making green smoothies, watching Big Brother, petting her cats and doing Zumba J.

Keodara was a 2017-18 Pathways Fellow in Washburn Center’s  Intensive In-Home Program She is second year MSW student at St. Catherine University-University of St. Thomas. Keodara’s internship experience includes a year at Community of Peace Academy in St. Paul as a school social worker, where she provided counseling to students who needed support and engaged with teachers and administration to create a safe and welcoming education environment for all students. She has also worked at the National Council on Family Relations as an Office Manager, as well as at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. She has a strong interest in trauma-informed care. Keodara’s long term goals include giving back to the Hmong community, especially children who are struggling with mental health.

Maria is originally from Ecuador and has been in the U.S for 17 years. Her experience as an immigrant and the massive raids and deportations that took place in the spring of 2006 at meatpacking plants in the Midwest has been a strong motivational factor in pursuing a career that enables her to advocate for social and economic justice. Specifically, the decision to pursue clinical mental health stems from her work with clients. Their feedback and the experience of working with them has allowed her to appreciate first-hand the need for mental health practitioners that are representative of the communities we serve, and the need for services that are culturally appropriate. Maria is got involved with Pathways to help deepen her understanding in the areas of trauma and attachment and provide her with the opportunity to learn evidence-based practices related to the work with communities of color. In her spare time, Maria loves to read, meditate, dance and travel.

Sarah has always enjoyed working with kids. She finds the parent/caregiver-child relationship to be significant in a person’s life, so it felt like a natural step to focus her career in children’s mental health.  Sarah is excited to be a part of the first Pathways Fellowship cohort! She looks forward to developing, learning and growing her clinical skills alongside other people of color. Outside of work, Sarah likes to travel, go out to eat, watch movies and walk around the lakes.

Chantelle is a first year MSW student at the University of Minnesota. Chantelle has worked in different areas of social work for close to 14 years. She has always been inspired to work with families since she was a young girl, especially children. Chantelle chose children’s mental health as an area of study because it is important to her, in the sense that children can teach us so much; we just have to learn how to truly listen. She wants to help children be heard as well as support them with skills for their lifetime. Chantelle’s hobbies and interests include spending time with family and friends; she has been married for almost six years and has three children.

Lamiena is a current MSW student at Augsburg University and has extensive experience working in area schools, including Nellie Stone Johnson, providing mentorship and parent support outreach as well as leading restorative justice groups. Lamiena has been a part of the Minnesota National Guard for the past eight years and has a special interest in supporting families of returning veterans. He has been married for two years and has two children, ages nine and three.