Meet The Team
Founder & CEO
Victoria Vargas
Victoria Vargas is a dedicated social work professional with over 10 years of experience supporting current and former foster youth. In addition to her professional background, she brings 17 years of lived experience within the foster care system, giving her deep, firsthand knowledge of the systemic challenges and barriers that continue to impact youth transitioning to adulthood. Her work centers on advocacy, systems navigation, and direct support, with a strong focus on improving long-term outcomes for foster youth.
Victoria brings extensive experience in foster youth advocacy and has worked across multiple systems to elevate youth voice, promote equity, and expand access to critical resources. She is currently a Doctoral student in Social Work, further strengthening her expertise in research, leadership, and policy related to vulnerable populations and child welfare reform.
In addition to her professional practice, Victoria is a published author and the founder of Building Resilience Together, where she leads mission-driven efforts to develop trauma-informed, youth-centered programs. Through her leadership, she remains deeply committed to empowering young people, fostering resilience, and addressing longstanding system gaps to create sustainable pathways toward stability, healing, and long-term success.
MSW Intern
Sony
Sonette Avalos is a dedicated professional in human services and program management, with over 20 years of experience supporting diverse military, youth, and community-based populations. She has an extensive background in public service, crisis response, family readiness, and student success initiatives across federal, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. Sony specializes in advocacy, collaborative communication, and developing programs that strengthen resilience and access to resources for vulnerable communities.
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Sony is a committed advocate for youth and families facing adversity, especially those navigating systems such as foster care, education, and the veteran affairs. Her dedication is rooted in both her personal values and her longstanding professional mission to uplift marginalized groups through trauma-informed support, empowerment, and access to equitable resources. At Building Resilience Together, she supports the organization’s mission by bringing a compassionate, culturally responsive approach to helping youth build emotional strength, stability, and pathways toward healing.
Meet The Board
Chairman of Board of Directors
Justin Mendez
Justin Mendez is an equity-centered higher education leader and social justice advocate committed to advancing student success through belonging, empowerment, and transformation. As a first-generation college student, he began his academic journey at Santa Monica College before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles and earning a Master of Arts in Education with a specialization in Race and Ethnic Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies. He currently serves as Director of Basic Needs Programs and the CASA Grant at Long Beach City College, where he leads culturally responsive, trauma-informed initiatives supporting foster youth, men of color, student parents, and students experiencing basic needs insecurity. Nationally, he has served as a field expert with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education and is a two-time recipient of the League Excellence Award, as well as the Viking Impact Award. Justin actively contributes to disrupting systems of oppression and reimagines education to move beyond performative equity and toward courageous, transformative action that dismantles barriers and redefines student success as collective liberation.
ViceChair of the Board of Directors
Xiomara Caliendo
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Secretary
Natalya Gonzalez
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Treasurer
Alexus Ramsey
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Board Member
Hannah Warner
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Youth Voice Board Member
Daniel Gil
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Apply Today
There are no current positions available at Building Resilience together. If you would like to vulonteer for an event please contact BRT for information.