Hero with Many Hats

When Ana Carrera arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic, she carried more than luggage. She carried the memory of every person who helped her along the way. "Everyone who supported her in her move," she recalls, "the community help, going to school, knowing she helped people. It all came back to giving back." That spirit of reciprocity now defines her sixteen-year tenure at Pro Bono Counseling, where she has become a quiet force for Maryland's Spanish-speaking community. 

As Terapias Manager, Carrera wears many hats: clinical intake coordinator, case manager, therapist recruiter, data reporter. But her impact transcends titles. When she started at PBC in 2009, she was the only Spanish speaker on staff. Today, thanks largely to her outreach and recruitment efforts, PBC serves over 200 Spanish-speaking clients annually with a network of 40 bilingual clinicians. She takes particular pride in Terapias, the program ensuring that language never becomes a barrier to mental health care. 

Carrera's approach reflects her own journey as an immigrant. PBC removes barriers not just through therapy, but through practical support: free translation and interpretation services alongside no time limits on care. For clients hesitant to seek help, Carrera offers perspective shaped by experience. She knows reaching out requires courage, and that the community who supported her deserves the same compassion extended to others. 

She speaks warmly of PBC's volunteers, calling them "hidden heroes". Heroes who donate their time to serve strangers. After sixteen years, Carrera's work remains rooted in the same truth that brought her to this field: help given freely multiplies. For her, that is not just a mission statement. It is life.