Briauna
Certified Yoga & Sound Bath Artist
Briauna Holmes is a certified yoga educator, wellness facilitator, and community healing practitioner dedicated to providing accessible, trauma-informed mindfulness programs for youth, families, and underserved communities. She holds both 200-hour and 500-hour yoga certifications, with advanced training completed in Indonesia focused on yogic philosophy, meditation, Ayurveda, trauma-informed movement, and nervous system regulation. Briauna has facilitated wellness services in mental health facilities, schools, community organizations, and crisis response settings, including supporting families impacted by the Altadena wildfires. She is the pioneer of a yoga and mindfulness program at Dorothy Kirby Center and currently leads youth-centered wellness initiatives through CEF, integrating movement, breathwork, creative expression, and holistic practices to promote emotional resilience, self-regulation, and lifelong well-being.
Kaylie
Culinary & Garden Artist
Kaylie is a dedicated culinary and garden arts artists at CEF, where she has been inspiring young minds for the past year. With a passion for giving back to the community, Kaylie blends her love for cooking and gardening to create engaging, hands-on learning experiences for her students. She believes in the power of food and nature to foster creativity and teamwork, and she enjoys mentoring youth as they develop valuable life skills.
Keonte
Lead Mentor & Artist
Keonte McDonald is a graphic designer, artist, and co-author of the children’s book Where Dreams May Take You. Growing up in Compton, he discovered his passion for drawing early, which shaped his creative journey. His work, infused with rhythm and spoken word poetry, reflects a commitment to inspiring others, especially young minds. Keonte has collaborated with organizations including the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Oklahoma City Zoo, and numerous Southern California elementary schools. He is also a dedicated husband and father of three, finding joy in both family life and his artistic pursuits.
Adesina
Lead Ceramics and Sculpture Artist
Adesina is a sculptural artist and art facilitator based in Los Angeles, specializing in figure sculpting and storytelling. With over 15 years of experience, she combines her background in psychology with her expertise in ceramics to create spaces where people explore personal and collective narratives through hands-on experiences. Using clay as a tool for processing emotions, navigating transitions, and exploring identity, Adesina believes in the transformative potential of art, guiding participants with emotional awareness and the understanding that vulnerability is a powerful starting point.
Jose
Artist & Lived Experience Mentor
Jose Escobedo values art, positivity, and recognizing the potential in others. He is driven by personal growth and creativity, with a strong commitment to success while uplifting those around him. Jose actively gives back to his community through charity walks and by working in juvenile halls, where he introduces art as a constructive and empowering pathway for youth.
Sasha
Yoga Artist
Sasha is a trauma-informed RYT-200 yoga teacher with a mental health–centered approach to embodied healing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of the West and has seven years of experience teaching yoga to children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Sasha supports individuals, families, and communities through mindful movement practices that promote emotional regulation, resilience, and self-connection.
Michael
Lead Lived Experience Mentor
Michael Jourdain is an author, activist, and mentor based in Los Angeles County. With a lifetime of lived experience within the LA County Community, he advocates for marginalized voices and empowers individuals through education. His literary works address themes of identity and resilience, earning him recognition as a leader in community activism. As a mentor, Michael inspires young people and emerging leaders through workshops focused on confidence and advocacy skills. Committed to creating a more inclusive society, he believes in the transformative power of storytelling and collective action.
Erin
Lead Artist, Communities & Parks and Recreation
Errin Ulrich is a food artist from Los Angeles, CA. She holds a degree from California State University of San Bernardino. Errin leads food art classes at local Los Angeles County parks for people of all ages. Her passion is helping students turn fruits, proteins, and vegetables into works of food art. She enjoys seeing the smiles and wonder on her students' faces as they become adventurous in their food art designs. Errin also has a huge love for gardening and enjoys growing various types of vegetables to fuel her joy of creating new recipes and ideas for her classes.
Foster Mayes
Lead Mentor, Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and Camp Dorthy Kirby
Foster is a trained peer support specialist and lived experience mentor who brings authenticity, resilience, and cultural legacy to his work with youth and justice-impacted communities. Drawing from his own direct experience navigating justice involvement and rebuilding his life with purpose, Foster uses a healing centered, strengths-based approach to guide individuals facing similar challenges. His mentorship is grounded in empathy, accountability, and the belief that lived experience can be transformed into leadership. Foster is a pioneering figure in early 1980s Los Angeles hip-hop. Known professionally as M.C. Fosty he helped shape the West Coast electro-rap sound. His music career reflects innovation and cultural impact he now channels into mentoring, helping young people find their voice, purpose, and path forward.
Raquel
Art Assistant Educator
Raquel holds a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing from FIDM and brings experience teaching art through her local church and community programs. Raquel specializes in painting and custom party décor, and she is especially passionate about using creativity to build confidence, spark imagination, and help others turn their ideas into meaningful visual expressions.
Genaro
Media and Graphics Artist, Loma Atla Park Afterschool
Genaro is an artist and advocate for creative expression at CEF. He uses his artistic skills to create inclusive workshops that help individuals explore self-expression in ways they may not have had access to before. Passionate about empowering others, Genaro believes in the transformative power of art to foster connection and healing within the community.
Hailey
Assistant Educator, Schools
Hailey Gillett is passionate about supporting children and families through healing-informed, community-based work. After moving from Boston, she completed coursework focused on working with children, deepening her understanding of youth development and the importance of safe, supportive environments. Hailey is inspired by the joy children bring to learning and their meaningful self-expression, and she is committed to creating spaces where young people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.
Serafina
Art Educator, Schools and Communities
Serafina is a certified art educator, costume designer, and wardrobe stylist originally from New York, with a BFA in Costume Design from SUNY Purchase and a Master’s in Art Education from Columbia University. She has worked on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and served as Assistant Costume Coordinator for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In Los Angeles, she taught costume design and visual arts at Glendale College, La Cañada High School, and Citizens of the World Charter Middle School, receiving honors such as Highly Qualified Teacher status and the Founders Day Award. She is currently a wearable art exhibiting artist, freelances in costume and wardrobe styling, and tutors students preparing portfolios for art schools, believing creativity is a powerful tool for healing and community connection.
De Jur
Yoga Artist
De Jur Jones is a yoga therapist trained at Loyola Marymount University. She has specialized training that has helped her find her niche in serving at-risk, under-resourced, and highly traumatized communities and populations. For the past 14 years, she has been teaching youth in the juvenile justice system, probation camps and their staff, shelters for the homeless, group homes, mental health centers, direct services programs, and incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and adults around LA County. De Jur loves the work that she does. She is also a lover of theater, books, cats, and music, and she moonlights as a flight attendant.
Izell
Professional Photography Artist, Camps and Halls
Izell is a native of Michigan who resides currently in Atlanta, GA. He is currently working in the aviation industry, and he continues to participate in advocacy in healing informed practices for youth. He is a lead facilitator for boys and girls through his work with Center for the Empowerment of Families, Healing Captured, and other programs throughout LA County.
Izell is dedicated to being a resilient role model for challenged youth and provides mentorship for marginalized children, including foster youth, special needs children, and youth detained in LA County Juvenile Halls. He also utilizes his mentorship skills and artistic abilities to create programs aimed at sustaining youth and promoting healthy coping habits.
Da'Shaunae Marisa
Professional Photgrapher
Da’Shaunae specializes in documentary, editorial and commercial photography. Her main objective help her students explore their “FEELINGS" through photography.
"If I can evoke something meaningful from your soul I have fulfilled my purpose.” - CEF Healing Captured Teaching Artist, Da’Shaunae,
Her creative endeavors started in illustration and transitioned to graphic design study for two years before pursuing photography. Her relationship began when her mother would always carry a Kodak disposable camera to photograph her and brother. In 1st grade, her mom gifted her a camera to document her last day of school. This experience later evolved, and today Da’Shaunae’s professional photography can be found in the New York Times, WSJ, Bloomberg, National Geographic, Time Magazine, and other publications. She also enjoys creating public art photographs using wheat pasting methods on buildings to inspire and engage her community.
Jason
Professional Photographer
Jason is a commercial photographer and graphic designer based in Los Angeles. With 25 years of experience in graphics, he approaches his photography with the end result in mind. Having been a professional photographer for over 16 years, he started his photographic journey when he noticed that some photographers couldn't capture the visions he had for the projects he worked on as a graphic designer.