Eva Vilcan

I have worked in hospitals all my life in the trauma unit, where I would see victims come in. Having lived in a dysfunctional family where my mother was a victim of abuse back in the 70s when they didn't have resources like we do now, I wanted to do more and help survivors. I work with domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking victims. I also work with the Hispanic community and handle immigration processes and paperwork for victims. In my 4 years at the organization, I started as a phone receptionist, and 2 months later the executive director asked me to take the medical advocate coordinator position overseeing volunteers at the hospital. Then they felt I could do case management, so I did both roles. I never thought I would achieve something like that at my age. My strongest points are that I have a lot of empathy, patience, and I care about other people first before I take care of myself. If I can't find a resource in one place, I'll dig until I can find something. I'm a go-getter. I keep a picture of my mom in my office because I'm doing this work in her name. I might not have been able to help her back then because I was too young, but I can help others in her name.