Monica is passionate about working with and learning from global neighbors who are experiencing forced displacement. She comes to Abara with a background in public health and nonprofit leadership and is eager to cultivate community-wide support for the mission & vision of Abara House.

Monica served as a founding board member and program director for DASH Network, an asylum-seeker housing non-profit in Fort Worth. In addition to managing Abara’s grant program, Monica is a registered nurse in clinical risk management. She holds a Master of Applied Science in Community-Based Primary Healthcare & Global Health from Johns Hopkins University. 

As a first-generation Colombian-American, Monica is familiar with the tension of holding multiple cultural identities and finds comfort in the beautiful mix of two worlds here in the borderlands. Monica lived in El Paso for four wonderful years while her husband completed medical school, and they now live in Fort Worth, TX, with their daughter, Elim, and their Weimaraner, Nadia. You can find Monica experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, traveling for food and friends, and going on walks with her family.