Shenelle Galarza, MSW

Social Worker

Shenelle Galarza is passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless, advocating, and working towards providing opportunities for those who are most impacted by the many systems of oppression. Shenelle graduated from Hunter College' Silberman School of Social Work in 2021, obtaining a Master’s in Social Work. Throughout her social work career, she worked in a high school in the South Bronx working directly with those who were impacted by the juvenile justice system and the foster care system. Shenelle also worked in a community re-entry program that assisted marginalized individuals, who were formerly incarcerated, and provided the necessary tools to positively reacclimate back into society. She spent some time doing individual therapy with the youth at a cure violence site in East Harlem.

As a native New Yorker, Shenelle takes pride in finding new opportunities to pour back into her community. She has organized and facilitated multiple groups that focused on trauma, effective communication, building healthy relationships, social-emotional skills and psychotherapy groups for those impacted by the justice system. As Youth Represents’ newest Social Worker, Shenelle is excited to learn from her peers and continue to challenge the systems that harm our clients. 

email: sgalarza@youthrepresent.org