Staff Highlights: Arnida Guillermo

Meet Arnida Guillermo

Arnida started as the Volunteer Resource Coordinator at CBFY in July 2025, but she has worked with us for almost 16 years. Arnida started with CBFY in 2011 as a Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS), joining the team because she wanted to work with people from all cultures, and assist families and young people navigating the immigration system. 

“It’s really hard for them to adjust so that really was in my mind since I started,” Arnida said. “How else can we support the young people?”

“We try as much as we can to really help these kids to get into the system, navigate the system, and connect them within the school community and even the outside community,” she added.

For our 35 for 35 fundraising campaign, celebrating 35 years of CBFY and supporting immigrant and refugee youth and families, Arnida raised $2,635 by encouraging 63 people to donate. For fundraising, Arnida asked her closest friends to donate to the campaign, rather than get her a Christmas gift. She reached out to old clients from CBFY to ask them to support our programs and stand with immigrant youth.

As the volunteer coordinator, Arnida oversees almost 300 volunteers. It’s a challenging but rewarding position that Arnida loves– she’s a self proclaimed people person. Her favorite part of her job is meeting different people, because she enjoys learning from them just like they learn from her, she said. When a new volunteer comes to the office, Arnida shows them around and introduces them to the team, so the staff knows them, and they know the staff.

“Most of our volunteers are newcomers, so these volunteers are also adjusting in a new environment,” Arnida said. “CBFY makes sure that they feel welcome and makes them feel they are one with us. They’re not just volunteers, we treat them like they are our colleagues.”

Arnida established the Bridge Circle in August 2025. Each month, she hosts episodes, or gatherings where volunteers can come to engage and interact with each other. At each episode, she invites a member of the CBFY staff to give a presentation about culture, migration and other relevant professional development to the volunteers. Arnida makes the Bridge Circles interactive, so volunteers can feel comfortable sharing their experiences. It is a great place for volunteers to meet one another, and become more comfortable and confident in the work they do for CBFY. At the first Bridge Circle, there were 9 attendees, but in the December episode, Arnida had almost 30 volunteers attend.

“Our volunteers will be able to engage, build their confidence,” Arnida added. “It’s a very good avenue for our volunteers to share their experiences, their challenges, their fears.”

Arnida helps choose a Volunteer of the Month to highlight and acknowledge the passion and hard work of our volunteers. She plans to launch a volunteer engagement survey in February so she can understand ways she can improve volunteer services. Arnida loves engaging with volunteers and helping them build confidence in a new city.

“My heart really is for CBFY,” she said.