Gricelda de la Cruz

Site Director at Church World Service Charlotte

Gricelda de la Cruz is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate who grew up in North Carolina. She has a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a master's degree in Public Administration. She supported unaccompanied immigrant children for seven years through Communities In Schools Newcomer Services in Charlotte. In 2021, she worked at an Emergency Influx Shelter, supporting the reunification process of children and their families. Later on, she supported immigrant children through post-release services. Today, she is the Office Director for CWS Charlotte, leading the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children program. Her team provides ongoing assistance through the program and connects children to community-based resources. She serves as a Board Member for the nonprofit, Latin American's Working for Achievement and LatinxEd. Gricelda dreams of expanding services in Charlotte to serve the newcomer community through mental health services, cultural enrichment programming, and supporting language acquisition.