Vanessa was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has lived predominantly in the San Fernando Valley. Vanessa started her journey with ABI in July, 2015 after graduating from CSUN with her bachelor’s degree in Child Development. She already had experience working with children, but wanted to find work that would allow her to apply her degree, and work more hands on. Currently, she attends The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where she is working toward her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. Vanessa’s favorite part of her job is the growth she gets to see in our kids, and the laughs she gets to share with them. One of Vanessa’s favorite memories is being silly and making funny faces with her client. When asked what advice she would give a new skills trainer Vanessa said, “Don’t forget to have FUN. You are taking in a lot of information and learning the swing of things, but remember to have fun.” During her free time, she enjoys attending Dodger or Kings games. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends. When asked what would she take if she was on a deserted island, she said she would bring a hammock, an iPod, and headphones. She said, “I might as well make it a vacation.”