Dr. Selma Yznaga is Our 2023 Maria Woltjen Waymaker Award Recipient

For this year’s Maria Woltjen Waymaker Award, the Young Center will be honoring one of our very own Board members, Dr. Selma Yznaga. Dr. Yznaga has been a part of the Young Center from the very beginning. She has been part of our Volunteer Child Advocate cohort in Harlingen, has served as an expert on Best Interests Determination (BID) panels, and helps us train our Child Advocate Volunteers. Both in her professional and personal life, Selma is a champion for the Young Center, our work on behalf of children, and our staff. 

In addition to serving as a Child Advocate Volunteer for over seven years, Dr. Yznaga is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. She has held numerous leadership positions in the American Counseling Association (ACA), including president of the Counselors for Social Justice division. Most recently her clinical work, advocacy, and scholarship are directed at the treatment of immigration-related trauma at the Texas/Mexican border. 

The Young Center’s Maria Woltjen Waymaker Award recognizes an outstanding individual, group, or organization that has made a significant contribution toward advancing the rights and best interests of immigrant children.  

This award is in honor of Maria Woltjen, Founder and Executive Director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, who served from 2004 until her retirement in June 2021.  Previous winners of the Maria Woltjen Waymaker Award include Young Center Founder Maria Woltjen (2021) and renowned author Isabel Allende (2022). Maria is credited with building the model to provide Child Advocates to advocate for the best interests of unaccompanied and separated immigrant children. An influential leader in the field of children’s rights, Maria has been recognized nationally for her success in integrating children’s rights and best interests into immigration practice, policy and the law.