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The Dynamic Staff of Community Bridges
Though small in number, our staff works closely with the board, interns, mentors, and other volunteers to bring the benefits of our programs to more than 300 at-risk girls in ten schools in the Long Branch Community.

Ana Lopez, Executive Director--A native of Silver Spring/Takoma Park, Ana has a passion for empowerment and educational programming for low-income youth of color. With more than eight years of experience with Latino immigrant families and youth in Brooklyn and East Harlem, New York, and in Washington, DC, she has worn many hats working as an individual and group counselor, social worker, youth empowerment promoter, and organizational development advocate. Ms. Lopez is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery 2007, is the recent recipient of the 2009 Meyer Exponent Award and is a 2009 Washingtonian of the Year.
Prior to coming to Community Bridges, Ana worked at the Latin American Youth Center, where she managed the Transitional Living and Street Outreach Program, which serves homeless Latino youth in Washington, DC. Ana holds a master's degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work, with a concentration in program development. She also holds a bachelor from Vanderbilt University in Human & Organizational Development with a concentration in Community Development and Social Policy. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, listening and playing music (from bluegrass to tango), reading, and cooking and eating great food, especially with friends and family. She hopes to complete a triathlon one day as well as visit all seven continents.

Crystal Adegbola, Elementary School Program Leader--Crystal's passion for community advocacy was born out of her parent's dedication to community adovcacy in their adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio. As a child of Nigerian immigrants she has come to appreciate the emphasis the Nigerian community places on giving back to others, especially youth. After finishing her undergraduate education at Smith College in December 2004, Crystal came to Washington, D.C. to follow her passion to work with youth from immigrant backgrounds. Crystal has worked with youth and immigrant communities for the past 7 years and appreciates all that she has learned through those experiences. She sees her current position as a wonderful opportunity to encourage young women to embrace their uniqueness and see themselves as valuable parts of their community. Crystal finds it important to dedicate her time to causes she finds important such as the effort to fight human trafficking and Advocates for Youth. As a lover of the arts she is especially interested in movements that intersect the arts with advocacy and education. Crystal is a dancer who has studied various types of dance and is currently a member of Raices de Borinquen, a Puerto-Rican Folkloric Dance troupe in Washington, DC.

Celia Gamboa, Director Families, Schools, and Communities- Celia is passionate about empowering Latino youth and their families. She believes that connecting both students and parents to educational resources provides critical opportunities for family growth. A Washington D.C. native, Celia graduated with a B.S. in Family Studies from the University of Maryland, where she also helped establish and support Latino culture and academic achievement organizations. Upon graduation, Celia worked with immigrant Latinos and marginalized families at the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative. She also worked at the Whole Self Center, assisting with therapeutic strategies to build more effective communication among children and families living with autism. In 2007 she returned to the University of Maryland as an undergraduate admissions counselor, coordination outreach programs geared toward minority and first generation students and parents. Celia hopes to continue learning from all those around her.

Gboyinde Onijala, Development and Communications Associate - Gboyinde is very excited to be joining the staff of Community Bridges this August! She is a recent graduate of Towson University where she received her B.S. in Mass Communication and Communication Studies. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but has lived in Montgomery County for over 13 years. Her passion for working with the youth and young adults of her community developed in high school where she felt led to start an organization, S.I.S.T.E.R.S (Sisters in Striving Towards Education Responsibility and Success), to empower young women. Her dedication to the empowerment and success of her peers continued throughout college where she served as a Students Achieve Goals through Education (S.A.G.E) mentor, president of the African Diaspora Club, Editor-in-Chief of The African Diaspora Newsletter, and a volunteer at the WomenĄŻs Center. She believes that Community Bridges is a great channel through which she can continue to empower, encourage and excite the young women of her community and ensure that they succeed academically and socially. Gboyinde loves to read and write, is active in her church community.

Hana Kim, Office Manager & Intern Coordinator-- Hana was born and raised in South Korea. After graduating from high school in Korea, she spent the next five years studying abroad in China. She received her bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature at the People's University in Beijing. Since arriving in the U.S in 2005, Hana has studied at Georgetown University and interned at the Korean Embassy. In her free time, she enjoys cooking Korean food for her family and friends, practicing yoga and reading design magazines. She loves diversity because it provides more opportunities to learn, understand, and respect others from different cultures. She considers herself fortunate to join such a diverse staff and become a part of a diverse community. Hana is excited to get to know the people from all over the world and looks forward to sharing her knowledge and cultural experiences.

Evelyn Lopez, Middle School LUNA Program Manager-- Born in Columbia Heights, Washington D.C. and raised in Hyattsville Maryland, Evelyn is the oldest and only daughter out of four kids. She is from Guatemalan and Salvadorian descent and is proud of her ethnic background. Alumni from the University of Maryland, College Park, she received a Bachelors Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. In addition she earned a minor in Spanish Language in Cultures and the newly established U.S. Latino/a Studies Minor Program at the University of Maryland, for which she and many students on campus advocated for. Evelyn has worked with youth from different walks of life in and outside her community. Her passion revolves around youth advocacy, Latino/a empowerment, and immigrant rights. She is a mentor and assistant soccer coach for the Northwestern High School Girls Varsity Soccer Team and is a huge advocate for Autism in support of her brother Edgar who was diagnosed at age 3. Evelyn enjoys playing soccer, great food, hanging out with friends and family, and traveling.

Jacilyn Smith Skupien, High School Program Manager and Social Work Advisor-- Jacilyn holds a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology from the University of Maryland-College Park. She was raised in a military family and has lived in many places, which has helped her to develop an appreciation for diversity. Jacilyn worked for several years providing direct services to children and families of complex trauma, including domestic violence, child maltreatment, homelessness and HIV/AIDS. She believes that every person has inherent worth and is passionate about coming alongside others, especially children and youth, to help them find their vision for their lives. Jacilyn is active in her faith community and enjoys exploring new cultures, being outdoors and hanging out with her husband and dog.

Lauren Wetherell, Middle School Program Manager-- LaurenĄŻs passion for female empowerment started at an all girl high school in Dallas, Texas. She later translated this interest into a concentration in womenĄŻs issues while obtaining her bachelor of arts in Sociology from Dickinson College. As a co-director of the YWCAĄŻs YWTeens program for middle school girls, Lauren knew she wanted to work with young women and share her passion for womenĄŻs rights, issues, and empowerment. Her greatest hope is to turn tolerance into understanding and promote women's rights as not only an issue for women, but also for men. She is excited to enter the world of non-profits in an effort to create change, hoping to not only share her experiences living across the country and abroad, but to learn from those around her. She enjoys the arts, cooking shows, spending time with family and friends, and being the perpetual idealist. Lauren is excited to start the newest chapter of her life at Community Bridges in August.