Solution Center Spotlight

Camela Matlack

Meet Camela Matlack, Bilingual Solution Center Representative at the Brighter Futures Solution Center assisting both families and providers around the state. Camela has been with the Brighter Futures Solution Center for less than one year and already assisted hundreds of families and their children find care that meets their unique needs.

Job Title
Solution Center Agent.

What education/degrees have you obtained?
Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish

How long have you been a member of the Brighter Futures Solution Center?
Seven months.

What did you do before joining the Brighter Futures Solution Center?
I worked in community development in Nairobi, Kenya - helping underserved families with literacy, trauma healing, addiction assistance and children's programs, and establishing a community library.

What did you do before joining the Brighter Futures Solution Center?
14 years.

What are some of your favorite things about your role?
My absolute favorite part about my role is helping families access childcare through childcare vouchers, helping them find availability for childcare for their family and taking them through the Family Resource Navigator tool to find other organizations that can also work with them. Getting to use my Spanish and assisting families in their first language is also a joy.

What was the last moment that caused you to stop and remember why you love your work?
As I was walking through the process of helping a mom find child care and asked her if she would like me to assist her in finding other organizations that could also help her, she began to cry and shared that she was trying to get out of an abusive relationship and needed support in many areas. I was grateful to be able to walk her through an additional referral process.

How do you spend your free time?
My own family members are my favorite people to be with - cooking for them, playing games together or just spending time together.

What was the best advice you ever received?
When I walk into a room, focus on thinking "There you are..." about the people already there - instead of "Here I am..." and taking the focus to myself.

What other interesting facts do you want us to know about you?
I was born and raised in Colombia, South America until I turned 18 and moved to America for college. I lived in Kenya for the last 10 years. So, while I am grateful to be a citizen of the United States, I have lived over half of my life overseas.