Meeting Our Teens Where They Are

Carlos Teran Named 2025 Darlene Kamine Advocate of the Year

Carlos Teran is a CASA Volunteer of 8 years, serving 6 of our kids. Two of them are teen siblings: a brother and sister who aren’t biologically related but were adopted by the same woman when they were kids.

A few years ago, when their adoptive mom passed away, they entered the system again. When he took the case, Carlos met a young woman who was traumatized, whose anger got the best of her, and a young man whose own needs were vastly different in light of an autism diagnosis.

With both, Carlos’ approach (however cliché, he said) was to meet them where they were.

For our girl, that meant visiting her in an inpatient psychiatric facility when she had a mental breakdown, meeting with school officials when she was disruptive in the classroom, and delivering advice that she desperately needed (even if she seemed to disregard it).

For our guy, it looked like taking the five minutes of undivided attention he had before it was back to computer games. It meant going elsewhere to get the information Carlos needed to advocate.

From attending team meetings with the young man’s teachers, intervention specialists, and disability advocates to encouraging his sister through school change and behavioral challenges, Carlos helped both these kids reach a meaningful milestone: graduating from high school.

Overcome with emotion, the young woman cried as she accepted her diploma.

In the weeks leading up to her mother’s death, she had asked the kids, “What do you want me to see you do?” This young woman wanted her mother to see her graduate. 

As she walked toward the stage, she couldn’t help but cry. She thought, “I’ve kept my promise.”

To some CASAs, Carlos said that “advocating for a teen can feel like a dog climbing up a tree.” Many volunteers, Carlos included, come to the role from the business world — are used to seeing a problem, studying it, and solving it. 

With this kind of work, it may be a year before a teen even looks you in the eye, he told us. But he’s found that if you’re a caring, reliable person, kids pick up on that. 

We thank him for being just that.