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Volunteer Voices: Binuri Fonseca

Binuri Fonseca, Community Outreach Officer at Royal Business Bank

“I’ve participated in virtual mock interviews with LAEP, and it’s amazing to interact with the students in this way. It’s really great that these students are taking advantage of the opportunity to learn how to talk to strangers, to learn what a job interview is like—before they’re even in college.

It’s really inspiring to hear them tell you about themselves and what they do. When I was that age, I wasn’t starting my own online business, I wasn’t volunteering, I wasn’t out there making a change. But I feel like a lot of these students that I’m interviewing right now are doing really productive things and things for personal growth. It’s so impressive. And they’re very aware of how important their mental health and self-care are. It’s inspiring to see them realizing that at such a young age. 

LAEP is truly a great organization. From speaking to LAEP staff, I can see that staff are in this because they care about the students. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion that they have. LAEP is truly there to make sure that the students progress in life, all the way through high school and then even through college.”

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Eric Barela, Ph.D.

Senior Consultant, Raya Cooper Impact Consulting

Dr. Eric Barela has worked as a measurement & evaluation professional for over 2 decades, helping organizations to better understand and act on their social impact. He’s currently a Senior Consultant with Raya Cooper Impact Consulting and previously worked at Salesforce, where he led efforts to measure the social impact of the company’s work with nonprofits and educational institutions across the globe. He began his career working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and with the nonprofit, Partners in School Innovation. Eric previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Journal of Evaluation.

Eric grew up in East LA and was educated in the Montebello Unified School District. He holds a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. He loves a good road trip, with his husband serving as trusty navigator.