Valentina is a heart-forward social worker with a decade of experience serving houseless communities in both Hawaiʻi and California. Born in Honolulu and raised in San Diego, she moved back to the islands to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Through her undergraduate capstone project, she discovered a deep passion for helping others during an internship at a large shelter in the city. Since then, Valentina has helped about 1,000 individuals find stable housing by navigating social services resources, building a strong team of colleagues with a shared vision, and aiming to embodying the principle of "cor ad cor loquitur," or "heart speaks to heart," in every interaction. It is clear that she thrives in environments where connection to people is at the center of her work. During her off-hours, Valentina is all about finding that elusive work-life balance. She embraces her downtime by restaurant-hopping, diving into books, experimenting with gardening, and playing the role of "animal auntie" to her sister's pets. Looking ahead, she is eager to continue her ʻohana’s legacy of social justice work, committed to another 30 years of uplifting those in need. Episode Highlights 0:22 Intro to Valentina 1:30 Social work and serving the unsheltered population 2:31 Trust in relationships 3:30 Hawaiʻi is home, regardless of your housing situation 4:20 Focus on making the difference 6:36 Cor ad cor loquitur: "heart speaks to heart" 7:35 Making magic - working with clients and a good team 9:21 Check up with those who have been housed 9:40 How many people do you think you've helped over the years? 10:19 A family legacy of serving the community 10:50 Housing her first client 11:28 Finding her element at a Honolulu shelter, working with families 13:10 Neighborliness:"You've just gotta talk to people, you've got to listen" 15:11 Career highlights: keys in doors 16:17 If you could fix one thing to better serve the houseless community, what would it be? 18:34 Finding balance through reading, gardening, being an animal auntie and foodie 21:51 People connections are key
Valentina is a heart-forward social worker with a decade of experience serving houseless communities in both Hawaiʻi and California. Born in Honolulu and raised in San Diego, she moved back to the islands to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Through her undergraduate capstone project, she discovered a deep passion for helping others during an internship at a large shelter in the city. Since then, Valentina has helped about 1,000 individuals find stable housing by navigating social services resources, building a strong team of colleagues with a shared vision, and aiming to embody the principle of "cor ad cor loquitur," or "heart speaks to heart," in every interaction. It is clear that she thrives in environments where connection to people is at the center of her work. During her off-hours, Valentina is all about finding that elusive work-life balance. She embraces her downtime by restaurant-hopping, diving into books, experimenting with gardening, and playing the role of "animal auntie" to her sister's pets. Looking ahead, she is eager to continue her ʻohana’s legacy of social justice work, committed to another 30 years of uplifting those in need.
Episode Highlights
0:22 Intro to Valentina
1:30 Social work and serving the unsheltered population
2:31 Trust in relationships
3:30 Hawaiʻi is home, regardless of your housing situation
4:20 Focus on making the difference
6:36 Cor ad cor loquitur: "heart speaks to heart"
7:35 Making magic - working with clients and a good team
9:21 Check up with those who have been housed
9:40 How many people do you think you've helped over the years?
10:19 A family legacy of serving the community
10:50 Housing her first client
11:28 Finding her element at a Honolulu shelter, working with families
13:10 Neighborliness:"You've just gotta talk to people, you've got to listen"
15:11 Career highlights: keys in doors
16:17 If you could fix one thing to better serve the houseless community, what would it be?
18:34 Finding balance through reading, gardening, being an animal auntie and foodie
21:51 People connections are key