Carolina Van De Voorde

Growing up in the United States as a multiracial child of immigrants from China and Peru, Carolina’s experiences give her unique lessons to share with others like her. “Humor and education helped me overcome a difficult childhood…diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of all the work I do, personally and professionally.”

As the Hispanic Alliance Co-Chair, Carolina is the bridge between the Alliance and Greenville County Schools. Her work as a School District Social Worker and Hispanic Liaison takes her all over the Upstate, attending quarterly meetings and working towards improving Hispanic youth education in our community.

“For Hispanic families, I provide information relevant to parents needing guidance to understand our education system, especially if they’re new to our state or country.” Through her time in this role, Carolina says one of her favorite things is attending the Lunch and Learn sessions to meet students who aren’t even aware that there’s a Hispanic liaison in their school district.

“As a bilingual person with a background in psychology, social work, education, social justice, and trauma-informed services, it’s very important to me that services and information are offered in both English and Spanish.”

While South Carolina has a reputation for being friendly and welcoming, it’s not always obvious in the laws passed or the services afforded to immigrant families. “These create challenges when I’m helping a family find assistance for their education, economic, legal, and medical needs.” Our state has made great strides in improving its understanding of Hispanic neighborhoods, but there’s still much room for improvement by eliminating language and cultural barriers. 

To the young Hispanic children growing up in South Carolina, Carolina’s hope is to see an increase in hobbies that stem from their cultural heritage. “I love encouraging everyone to learn any kind of hand-crafting (knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving, woodwork, clay work, glasswork, painting, cooking, etc.) as an act of self-care. These are all things that make our culture unique and cannot be replaced by technology.”