Page 14 - Healthcare Heroes 2025

HealthcareHEROES
A P R O G R A M O F B U S I N E S S W E S T & H E A L T H C A R E N E W S
“How do we define
Barbosa >>Continued from page H12
success? For me,
she has turned hardship and trauma into a tool for helping
it’s having a sound
mind, emotional
intelligence, being
able to connect with
people, building
community, and
overcoming the
trauma, the anxiety,
the depression. It’s
so rewarding to
be able to inspire
others so they,
too, can overcome
these things with
the right support
and the right
environment.”
others.
“I’m just excited to be where I’m at, to be able to overcome
the challenges that I have overcome and be a productive
individual, able to contribute to my community.
“It all comes back to our perspective,” she added. “How
do we define success? For me, it’s having a sound mind,
emotional intelligence, being able to connect with people,
building community, and overcoming the trauma, the anxiety,
the depression. It’s so rewarding to be able to inspire others
so they, too, can overcome these things with the right support
and the right environment.”
Barbosa also talks enthusiastically about her Christian faith,
which she said began when she was pregnant with her son.
“That’s really where my healing started. I knew, when I moved
here, it was my second chance. I knew that I didn’t want my son
to go through what I went through. I wanted to change. I wanted
better for him.”
And she also wanted to give back, as evidenced by the
Thanksgiving outreach that began shortly after.
“I remember telling my mom, ‘I want to do this — it’s just
something that I feel was put in my heart.’ I didn’t have a car, and
I remember putting all the meals in a little warmer in my son’s
Eddie Bauer stroller and walking with him. That was the year it
snowed a lot.”
Her faith is, in fact, deeply veined with both service and
empathy, something she’s quick to explain at a time when many
Christians are at odds with certain marginalized populations.
“I believe in respecting people’s autonomy and choice, and it’s
Areliz
Barbosa
says her
work is
rooted
in faith,
empathy,
gratitude,
and
resilience.
Staff Photo
important
for me to vocalize that in spaces where I have opportunities to
be, because there are a lot of people being targeted who identify
with the LGBT+ community.”
Add it all up, and the picture that emerges from Barbosa’s
life is one of an inspiring — and very busy — community leader
who, as DeVito put it, blends lived experience with academic and
professional expertise to bring dignity, healing, and justice to
underserved populations.
“Areliz has consistently built bridges between healthcare and
the communities it must serve. Olivia’s Mission stands as a model
for how community-led health promotion can be both effective
and sustainable,” she added. “For her visionary leadership,
tireless advocacy, and enduring impact, Areliz Barbosa is a true
Healthcare Hero. She doesn’t just serve the community — she
uplifts, empowers, and transforms it.” BW
A premier healthcare
educator in our region.
hcc.edu/healthcare
H14
2025 << 2025 HEALTHCARE HEROES >>