Trailblazers: Carla Delacruz Davila — Leading with Heart, Purpose, and a Passion for Community

Finding Her Voice

Carla was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Massachusetts at a young age. Like many children adjusting to a new environment, she faced challenges learning English, fitting in, and finding her place. She experienced bullying and remembers what it felt like to be different from the people around her. Those experiences were difficult, but they also helped shape the woman and leader she would become.

"Moving from Puerto Rico at a young age and learning English in an environment where I experienced bullying and felt different taught me what it feels like to be misunderstood or to feel as though you don't quite belong," Carla shared.

Today, those experiences influence how she approaches her work with students, families, and individuals who may feel overlooked or struggle to advocate for themselves. She understands that sometimes people need more than resources or assistance. They need someone willing to listen, understand their circumstances, and remind them that their voice matters.

Her Puerto Rican heritage remains an important part of who she is, shaping her understanding of family, resilience, and community. As an Afro-Latina, Carla is also passionate about recognizing the diversity within Hispanic and Latino communities and making sure future generations feel proud of every part of their identity.

"The Hispanic community is not one single story. We represent different countries, histories, races, languages, traditions, and experiences, and that diversity deserves to be celebrated."

For Carla, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate those stories, honor the people who came before us, and recognize the contributions being made every day, often by people whose names never make the headlines.

Turning Compassion into Action

Carla has built her career around helping people navigate challenges that are often more complicated than they appear. As a social worker, she has seen firsthand how food insecurity, housing instability, mental health challenges, and limited access to resources can affect entire families. She also knows that these issues rarely exist independently. A family struggling to afford groceries may also be facing challenges with housing, transportation, childcare, or employment.

Those experiences, along with the challenges she and her co-founder faced growing up, inspired Carla and Yesenia Arroyo to establish The WellStorm Inc., a grassroots, volunteer-run organization dedicated to identifying gaps in community services and helping people access the support they need.

"There wasn't necessarily one single moment that changed everything. It was the accumulation of experiences, conversations, and seeing needs go unmet. Eventually, you have to ask yourself whether you are willing to keep witnessing those gaps or whether you are going to do something about them."

For Carla and Yesenia, The WellStorm became their way of doing something about them.

Through initiatives such as The Bridge Fridge program, which helps make food more accessible, and other community efforts, The WellStorm works to connect individuals and families with resources while treating everyone with dignity and respect. Carla is quick to point out that community service isn't about assuming you know what people need. It's about listening, building relationships, and working alongside the people you are trying to help.

"The goal should not be to speak for a community without involving it. The goal should be to listen, partner with the people most affected, and work alongside them to create solutions."

That philosophy has guided her involvement throughout Southbridge and Worcester County. Whether she is advocating for students, supporting families, or participating in community conversations, Carla wants her work to result in something meaningful for the people who live there.

Leadership, Family, and the Women Who Came Before Her

Carla wears a lot of hats. She is a nonprofit leader, social worker, community advocate, board member, partner, and mother of two boys. Each role has shaped her approach to leadership, but she will be the first to admit that balancing everything isn't always easy.

Her background in social work has taught her to listen without judgment and look beyond the surface of a situation. Her community involvement has reinforced the importance of accountability, relationships, and following through on commitments. And motherhood has taught her patience, perspective, and the importance of recognizing that everyone has different needs.

"I have learned that leadership doesn't mean having all the answers. It means being willing to listen, learn, take responsibility, and continue showing up."

When asked about the women who inspired her, Carla immediately pointed to her mother. Long before she understood leadership as a professional concept, she saw it in her mother's strength, perseverance, and willingness to do what was necessary for her family.

Carla believes some of the most influential trailblazers are women whose accomplishments may never receive public recognition. They are the mothers raising children, the women working multiple jobs, the neighbors helping neighbors, and the people making sacrifices so the next generation can have more opportunities.

"My mother helped shape the woman I am today, and that influence is present in the way I approach motherhood, social work, and community leadership. Her example reminds me that leadership does not begin with a title. It begins with how you show up for people."

Now, as a mother herself, Carla hopes to pass those same values along to her two boys. She wants them to understand that strength and compassion go hand in hand, that success is about more than a job title or paycheck, and that how you treat people matters.

She also wants them to see that women can lead, speak up, challenge injustice, and make a difference without having to change who they are.

Making Room at the Table

As an Afro-Latina leader, Carla understands the importance of representation because she knows what it feels like when it is missing. Growing up, she did not always see women who looked like her in leadership positions, and throughout her career, there have been times when she felt she needed to work harder to have her voice heard or her contributions taken seriously.

Those experiences have strengthened her commitment to creating opportunities for others, particularly young Latinas who may question whether they belong in certain spaces.

"Representation is more than being visible. It is about having a voice in the decisions that affect our families, our students, and our communities."

Carla believes leadership spaces benefit when people with different backgrounds and lived experiences are genuinely included in conversations and decisions. And she understands that being invited into a room is not quite the same as having a meaningful voice once you're there.

Her advice to young Latina women who want to lead, serve their communities, or build something of their own is to stop waiting until they feel completely ready.

"Don't allow the absence of people who look like you to convince you that you don't belong. And don't feel that you have to change who you are, silence your experiences, or make yourself smaller to be accepted."

She encourages young women to start where they are, use the resources they have, ask questions, and surround themselves with people who encourage them to grow. Not every idea needs to begin as a large initiative, and not every leader needs to have everything figured out.

Sometimes making a difference starts with recognizing a need and being willing to do something about it.

What It Means to Be a Trailblazer

When we asked Carla what the word Trailblazer means to her, her answer reflected the same values that have guided her life and work.

"When I hear the word Trailblazer, I think of someone who is willing to walk a path that may not have been created for them, even when they don't know exactly where that path will lead."

For Carla, being a trailblazer is not simply about achieving something for yourself. It is about creating opportunities for others and remembering the people whose sacrifices helped make your own journey possible.

She is proud of the work she has accomplished, but she is equally aware that she did not get where she is alone. Her mother's example, her cultural heritage, her experiences growing up, and the relationships she has built along the way have all played a part in shaping her.

When asked what she hopes her legacy will be, Carla didn't talk about awards, titles, or professional accomplishments. She talked about her children, the students she has supported, the families she has served, and the people who may have felt a little less alone because someone took the time to care.

"I hope my legacy is that people felt seen, heard, valued, and loved because I was part of their lives."

And when the next generation of Latina leaders looks at the trail she is helping blaze, she hopes they see someone who didn't always have the answers, sometimes questioned herself, but continued to show up and create opportunities for others.

"As we make room for ourselves, we must also hold the door open for the women coming behind us. If my journey helps even one young Latina believe that her voice matters, her dreams are possible, and she has the power to create change in her community, then the trail I am helping blaze is worth it."

Celebrating Carla

One of the things we love about our Trailblazers series at Capital Strategic Solutions is the opportunity to share stories about people who are making a difference, often without looking for recognition or expecting anything in return.

Carla Delacruz Davila is one of those people.

She has taken experiences that could have discouraged her and used them to better understand and advocate for others. She has turned a commitment to community service into an organization that helps people navigate some of life's most difficult challenges. And through it all, she has remained grounded in the values instilled in her by her family and her Puerto Rican heritage.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate Carla not only for what she has accomplished, but for the example she continues to set for her children, her community, and the next generation of Latina leaders.