Ms. Romero is the proud mother of a beautiful, strong, and capable young lady with Down syndrome, Mental Health Conditions, and Type 2 Diabetes who is now 17 and will soon transition to adulthood. Cristy has been a consumer of SCLARC since 2004 and has inspired many areas of Ms. Romero’s life including her passion for advocacy, system navigation support, and education. Currently, Ms. Romero is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in sociology with an emphasis on social work at Grand Canyon University. She obtained her Associate's Degree with an emphasis on Children with Special Needs at Los Angeles Trade Technical College; soon after she completed a two-year fellowship program at the USC Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities as part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment and Related Disabilities Program at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Since 2005 Ms. Romero has been fortunate to work in various systems of care such as Public health, Regional Centers, and the present Mental Health all in the role of a Promotor de Salud, Parent Partner, and or Parent Navigator. Currently, she works for Masada Homes, a Mental Health agency providing family support and intensive care coordination services for children and youth in need of linkage to systems of care.