“I let people know I have experienced pain and I hear them. For ever indivdiual, I say I value you and I will do everything to help you heal.”
Enselma Vasquez has touched many lives in the Taos community over the years – and today, she welcomes and supports immigrant families as they build new lives in the area.
A Family Navigator with Las Cumbres’ Santuario del Corazón program, Enselma aims to ensure that children’s and families’ basic needs are met through ongoing resettlement assistance. Santuario del Corazón also supports immigrant students as they establish a safe social environment at home and in school. And as immigrant families adjust to new aspects of their lives, the program helps them preserve their culture and heritage – key forms of continuity and strength.
Enselma tells us that she approaches each day with empathy and values every person she meets. "Enselma radiates caring charisma," said Jose Gonzalez, Santuario del Corazón Program Manager. "She is a strong advocate for clients and enhances our program's services."
Growing up, Enselma saw her entire community helping to raise its children, and she took these lessons to heart – always seeking to offer her presence and support when family, friends, and neighbors needed assistance. For Enselma, these relationships are a source of deep joy – and she nurtures these connections by preserving family traditions. Every year, for example, she makes chokecherry jam, and her family lights up the horno after harvesting corn to make a New Mexican favorite, chicos.
Enselma seeks to pass these traditions down to her children and grandchildren – and to offer other families the same opportunities to plant deep roots in the Taos region.
