Being a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or C.A.S.A. and becoming the voice for a voiceless child in court is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, things one could ever do. It takes a special person to see and experience the things C.A.S.A.’s do and soldier on through all of it, knowing the difference you can make in a child’s life is beyond worth it.
And for one CCSJ teacher and student, Elizabeth Guzman-Arredondo and Claudia Lopez, they decided to take the journey to becoming a C.A.S.A. together, and are now sworn officers of the Superior Court of Lake County Juvenile Justice Division.
Lopez, a Senior at CCSJ, said becoming a C.A.S.A was always something she had thought about, but one special moment in her life made her realize that she had to help.
“I wanted to get involved for many reasons,” Lopez told IIMM. “I always wanted to get involved and do something, but it didn’t really hit home until I became a mom.”
And Lopez says she is thankful for CCSJ and the Superior Court Juvenile Justice Division for working around her schedule as a student and a mom and making it possible for her to pursue her passion of becoming a C.A.S.A.
“The classes were two a week for six weeks, but I had classes one of those nights,” Lopez added. “But everyone worked with me and made it so I could do independent study one of those nights and still complete the course.”
“They made it work and now I can go out and make a difference.”
Lopez graduates at the end of this semester and plans to get out there and start taking on cases immediately after. And if there is one thing, Lopez says, people can take from her training is that if you want to get out there and become a C.A.SA., go for it and don’t let anything get in your way of making a powerful impact in the life of a child.
“If there’s anything I can say to others it’s just, do it. If it is something you want to do, go out there and do it.”