We can’t say enough about how amazing our staff, interns and volunteers are!

These incredible humans have worked so hard through the pandemic to overcome many obstacles. We are so grateful to continue to learn and grow together, as a team.

What keeps us united is our passion to support the immigrant community here in Austin, Texas.

And we’ve recently had some new-commers join the crew!

Today, we give a special welcome to our new staff members and we are so thankful to have them as part of the Casa fam. Below, we’ve posted their bios, so you can learn more about them, their history and why they are passionate about helping immigrants.

Visit our staff page >>here<< to see the whole of team Casa!

Photo Credit: ESL Coordinator

Ariana Williams

Ariana Williams, a former Coloradan, moved to Texas a few years back with her family and is now a senior at Texas State University majoring in Anthropology and Public Health. She aspires to research the relationship between colonialism and poor health outcomes in the African diaspora. In the meantime, Ariana is enjoying practicing her French at Casa Marianella and tossing loose change in a jar for her next big trip.

Daniela Maldonado

Daniela is a Master’s student in Social Work and came to Casa as an intern for her program. Daniela is originally from Mexico but moved to Canada when she was 11 years old. She lived in Canada for 6 years and then moved to Arizona where she completed an undergrad in Psychology. It was in Arizona where she started her interest in social work after working with women and children victims of Domestic Violence for a few years. She has a passion for helping people in her community and has been really loving her time at Casa so far and is so grateful for this opportunity!

Innocente Baharanyi

Originally from the DR Congo, Innocente arrived in the USA in 2013. Innocente is an international medical graduate from Congo and is pursuing nursing education at ACC at this moment. Innocente was advocating for women rights in Congo where the society does not recognize and empower women. The thirst to always empower and assist those in need has driven Innocente’s passion to work with nonprofit organizations. As a former Casa resident, Innocente has joined the amazing Casa and Posada team to welcome and assist immigrants in their journey as they enter the USA. It is a privilege and an honor to be part of the amazing work that casa and Posada does.

Blake Miura

Born in Austin, Blake is a summer intern here at Casa Marianella who just finished his junior year at Southwestern University. He is majoring in Spanish and Sociology and is interested in pursuing immigration studies and legal justice as a potential career. He has a passion for helping people and his time here at Casa has allowed him to grow and meet amazing people.

Casa Marianella

Liliana Guzman Hernandez 

Liliana was born in Hidalgo, Mexico but grew up in the DC metropolitan area. At the age of 15 she discovered her passion for ballroom dancing. At the age of 21 she became a professional ballroom dancer and competed around the U.S. which led her to move to Austin Texas where she ran a dance studio. Liliana decided to take a break from teaching and join Casa Marianella where she hopes to evolve and help her community one step at a time.

Alexis Milam

Born in Plano, Texas and travelling ever since, Alexis had the privilege of growing up all over the United States as a “military brat” as some like to call it. Growing up in different areas gave Alexis the opportunity to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. She finally settled in at Texas State University where she earned her degree in International Business with a minor in French. While at University, she served as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Baptist Student Ministry. Alexis learned about the importance of serving the local community and how much need there was right there in San Marcos. Being interested in service and non-profit work, she then found Casa Marianella. Here, Alexis has the opportunity to learn and serve all while working with a passionate staff. She has already learned so much at her time here at Casa, and her experiences here will no doubt shape the rest of her career and life.