Meet the Team
Elia Hernandez (She / Her / Ella) Coordinator of Advocacy Services |
Chima Rivas (They / Them / Elle) Coordinator of Advocacy Services |
Why I Do This WorkI started working at Safe Place in October 2024. With a background in social work and workforce development, I have spent the last several years supporting children, families and young adults as they face barriers to safety, education, training and stability. Through that work I have learned how important and empowering it can be when someone feels truly listened to and believed. I am passionate about helping others feel safe, heard and supported as they navigate their own paths. I hope that everyone I work with feels safe to be themselves and knows that they don't have to go through things alone - we are here to support throughout their journey at Chico State. | Why I Do This WorkI've been with WellCat Safe Place since March 2023, but my advocacy journey began in 2019. 6 years ago, I started working at Catalyst DVSV, where I earned my first Domestic Violence Crisis Counselor certification. In 2023, I became dually certified in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling through the Center for Pacific Asian Family. I understand how difficult and overwhelming systems and institutions can be to navigate, especially in moments of crisis. I do this work because I know how impactful it can be to have someone supportive, informed, and compassionate by your side when you need it most. |
CertificationsDomestic Violence & Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor: 2025 SafeZone Ally: 2024 UndocuAlly: 2025 NueroDiversity Ally: 2025 | CertificationsDomestic Violence & Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor: 2023 SafeZone Ally: 2023 UndocuAlly: 2025 NueroDiversity Ally: 2025 |
We must acknowledge that much of what we know of this country today, including its culture, economic growth, and development throughout history and across time, has been made possible by the labor of enslaved Africans and their ascendants who suffered the horror of the transatlantic trafficking of their people, chattel slavery, and Jim Crow. We are indebted to their labor and their sacrifice, and we must acknowledge the tremors of that violence throughout the generations and the resulting impact that can still be felt and witnessed today
We acknowledge and are mindful that Chico State stands on lands that were originally occupied by the first people of this area, the Mechoopda, and we recognize their distinctive spiritual relationship with this land, the flora, the fauna, and the waters that run through campus.
We are humbled that our campus resides upon sacred lands that since time immemorial have sustained the Mechoopda people and continue to do so today.