Born in Queens and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York—also known as the “Dark Side” of Bushwick, an area that has since experienced gentrification—Cathy grew up in a community once known for violence. She attended one of the most challenging middle schools in Brooklyn during the early 2000s.

The school was known for violent incidents involving students, including stabbings that affected teachers and staff. It also had programs where some staff were involved in serious misconduct, including sexual abuse and connections to sex trafficking.

Cathy experienced many hardships, including navigating the domestic violence shelter system in Bedstuy before she got to Bushwick. As a young woman, she also endured generational trauma rooted in the generational trauma of slavery. Growing up in a household filled with abuse, Cathy turned to the streets, living a double life—hustling while also attempting to attend school from the ages 12-18 years old.  She was exposed to violence, sexual assault, and many other adverse experiences. From ages 0 to 12, Cathy lived in a household impacted by domestic violence that shaped her outlook on life. 

Often, when you grow up in these environments, it becomes difficult to recognize abuse as abnormal. If no one around you sees it as a problem, why would you? This is a reality that many systems overlook—the normalization of trauma and abuse within communities.

Cathy was introduced to advocacy at the age of 12, when her mother made her first attempt to leave an abusive household. Her mother went on to become an incredible family advocate within the foster care and mental health systems, inspiring Cathy to give back to her community. While navigating the shelter system, Cathy quickly learned that many people become trapped, forced to navigate complex systems just to receive support. This is often due to a lack of community resources and a reluctance to address trauma and the systemic barriers that perpetuate these cycles.

At a young age, Cathy also found herself in a relationship rooted in survival. She repeated patterns she had learned at home, though the abuse she experienced was emotional and verbal rather than physical. Growing up in an environment where being mean and harsh was mistaken for love, she developed her own ways of coping.

Cathy became an advocate at 17, engaging in youth peer advocacy in New York City. She was part of the first group to become Youth Peer Advocate Credentialed in 2018 which was developed after years of doing community and advocacy work and also navigating her own lived experience that later turned into lived expertise. Within nonprofits and child-serving systems, she was often described as a “mini caseworker,” going above and beyond for youth. Over time, and after 14 years in the field, she expanded her advocacy to support both youth and families navigating multiple systems—not just mental health, but beyond. She worked to help those who felt like giving up find resources, advocacy, and peer support, offering a genuine and relatable approach that went beyond traditional formalities. Cathy is a known leader in the youth and family peer advocacy world due to her ability to network across the workforce with all her peers. 

Cathy holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, reflecting her strength in developing leaders. She is an inspiring leader who supports those around her and provides mentorship through her honest and compassionate approach.

Cathy’s healing journey began through poetry. Throughout her life, she wrote poems, loved to dance, and found comfort in music. She became skilled at creating healing spaces to survive uncomfortable situations, especially while living in environments where she experienced physical and verbal abuse. At 18, she was diagnosed with PTSD. Over time, she realized she had never felt safe enough to truly explore herself in many spaces, so she turned inward—diving into psychology long before formally studying it.

Through her exposure to therapists, clinicians, and social workers, Cathy learned one powerful truth: she did not need a degree to care for people. Her lived experience gave her a voice, and she became someone others leaned on for support. She studied the DSM-5 and recognized how deeply many diagnoses are connected to years of trauma. This led her to ask an important question: how can she help her community heal in ways that prevent them from entering these systems in the first place?

Today, Cathy is the CEO and founder of Healing Through the Art of Prevention Works Inc., an organization dedicated to serving the community. The mission is to develop community centers and support healing spaces in parks, jails, schools, and neighborhoods across the country. With your support, this vision can become a reality. You can help by attending events, spreading the word, and supporting the work being done to build stronger, healthier communities for all.