Carlos Burgos says his work mentoring and guiding young minds is a calling he can trace back to his younger days when he could have used the same type of support. The calling, however, didn’t come until his final semester of college. “I was about to complete my degree in teaching when I told my advisor that I didn’t want to teach—it just didn’t sit right; I kept feeling pulled elsewhere,” he says. He entered a graduate program for clinical mental health counseling and knew he was in the right place. In 2024, he joined Hope Ignites St. Louis and became one-half of the dynamic duo that serve as our Wellness team, working alongside Associate Director of Wellness Carolina Dolan-Dominguez.
Dolan-Dominguez, a licensed clinical social worker, experienced a similar turning point. While working in foster services, she felt something was missing, and in 2022, responded to an opening at Hope Ignites St. Louis. “My husband had worked as a House Parent for Boys Hope Girls Hope—now Hope Ignites—while we were living in Chicago. I knew the impact they were making through a focus on education and wanted to be part of it,” she says.
When she arrived, the St. Louis affiliate was among the first to prioritize therapy within its programming, though services were being outsourced. Dolan-Dominguez quickly recognized the opportunity to strengthen the model. “I could see the missing pieces and understood the benefit of being around scholars every day—like when I can tell by their expression that they’re not having a good morning and can address it right then and there.”
Burgos agrees. “I’ve always believed that relationships are what help people heal. We’ve worked to create a consistent, caring community our scholars know they can rely on.” Together, he and Dolan-Dominguez have built a comprehensive wellness program that includes one-on-one and group therapy, daily psychoeducation activities, wellness resources, candid family conversations, and more. Programming spans from middle school through college for both Residential and Academy scholars.
“You can’t get the most out of your education if you’re struggling socially or emotionally,” Burgos says. “That’s what Carolina and I focus on—helping scholars build the tools they need to thrive.” He notes that many scholars place immense pressure on themselves to succeed. “They’re incredibly determined, but they can carry a lot of worry and stress and sometimes feel like they have to do it all alone. We emphasize that no one can do it alone—it’s okay to ask for help—and we give them tools to move beyond their initial emotions and to learn from mistakes instead of dwelling on them.”
Dolan-Dominguez says that it’s about creating a space where scholars feel safe to explore, grow, and figure things out. She notes that while asking for help can be a common hurdle, boys and girls inherently express and process emotions differently. “For boys, doubt and frustration often surface as anger—sometimes as a learned response—so we help them with recognizing those feelings and responding in healthier, more constructive ways. For many of our girls, comparison can become the thief of joy, as their self-esteem is often shaped by how they believe they measure up to others. We focus on building positive self-talk and reinforcing belief in their own abilities.”
Both Burgos and Dolan-Dominguez say they are proud to see the scholars’ growth over time, and in the process of working with many of them over several years, have developed some lasting relationships. “One of my favorite moments was when Enoch graduated high school last year, knowing all the work he put in and how much he’d overcome. He continues to call and stop by to chat and seems to be thriving in his first year at college. It’s all him—he did that,” says Burgos.
Dolan-Dominguez sees victories on a smaller scale as well. “The other day, some of the scholars were talking in the hallway about a distressing event on the news and asked if we could facilitate a group discussion on it. That tells me they’re learning to advocate for their mental health.”