Advocate Spotlight: Juan Villareal

November Advocate Spotlight

1. How long have you been an advocate? When did you realize you wanted to become one?
 I was sworn in as an advocate on Jan 24, 2020. When I learned about CASA, I didn’t realize how much impact I would play in a child's life or how engaged I would be working with the legal team. I realized I truly wanted to commit around the second week of training. Shortly after signing onto my first case, I knew I made a great decision to advocate for foster kids after seeing the smiles on the kids when all needs were met by placement, visits held with mother, and observing CPS and CASA's direct impacts. I had no reservations about signing on my next two cases.

2. What is the most rewarding aspect of being an Advocate? 
The most rewarding part of advocating is the journey of viewing these families strive for reunification. They each have different stories and struggles but desire the same ending. It has been my pleasure to serve on 3 open TMC cases and witness the teaming approach to meet the children's and parents' needs by all stakeholders involved. Through my diligence, I have been able to find a missing father from out of state and get him in touch with his legal caseworker and attorney. I have been able to advocate for in-home community resources to help build a support network while youth transition back home. 

3. If you could offer some words of encouragement to your fellow and incoming Advocates, what would it be? For new and fellow CASA advocates, I would like to mention I’ve enjoyed interacting with everyone in my cases (children, parents, CPS, Attorneys, Placements, etc.). I wasn’t sure which age range of children I was going to be good with. I am assigned a newborn, toddler, and then teenagers. The baby is adorable and has grown so fast in the last 5 months. The 4 and 5 year olds are fun young boys and very interactive to play with. The teens have been respectful towards me and are making great progress in their placements and education. I was initially worried about being able to connect with any age of children and youth. In my experience, being authentic, open, honest, and patience has led to having a trusting relationship with all my kids despite some COVID-19 barriers. I feel accomplished by interacting with the full age range of amazing children in just under a year of service.

Story of Hope: Brennan Holland

By bfines • February 13, 2025
Brennan Holland was assigned to Sarah in December 2022. Sarah entered foster care with a history of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, yet she remains incredibly resilient. Throughout her time in care, she has experienced multiple placements. Brennan quickly learned that Sarah has a strong passion for neuroscience and dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. Determined to pursue her goal, she graduated early from high school and is now enrolled in the College Bound Docket program, attending her school of choice—UTSA. However, the path to achieving her dream has not been without challenges.\ Sarah received a discharge notice from her current placement and was denied Supervised Independent Living (SIL) until she turned 18. It felt as though no one was giving her a real chance. CASA stepped in to advocate for Sarah’s independence, pushing for her to live in a dorm on her own. Not everyone on her team supported this idea due to concerns about her age, limited independent living experience, and fears that she might run away, be influenced by older peers, or engage in risky behavior. CASA, however, continued to stand by Sarah, even offering financial assistance to help her move into a dorm until she became eligible for SIL.  At Sarah’s next court hearing on January 24, 2025, her attorney ad litem filed a motion for her to live in a dorm at UTSA. CASA once again advocated for the court to approve this plan. The judge, quoting Brennan’s court report, stated, “Brennan said it correctly: You are going to succeed or fail based on your decisions.” Ultimately, the judge authorized Sarah to live in the dorms on campus and ordered CPS to cover the cost of SIL. CASA recently assisted Sarah in moving into her very first dorm room, and we are excited to see what the future holds for her. Since being placed on campus, she has built a strong network of supportive adults to help her thrive. The impact of CASA facilitating these vital connections is crucial in ensuring that young adults like Sarah have the support they need to successfully transition into adulthood.

February Advocate Spotlight

By bfines • February 13, 2025
Emily White
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