Meet the Team
Carolina Merchan-Mendes
Co-founder
Carolina (Caro), is a junior at Palmetto Senior High school, and co-founder of Blooming Minds Miami. She has a strong passion and interest in mental and physical healthcare, taking
on a summer community service program during her freshman year and interacting with both patients and staff at the hospital. Outside of school and volunteering, Carolina is a swimmer and
uses activity as a mental health stabilizer. Caro’s future goals involve helping the community
(likely with more mental health, healthcare, or changes to help marginalized and
underrepresented communities.)
Lara Gastelumendi
Co-founder
Lara is a junior at MAST @ Homestead, and the co-founder of Blooming Minds Miami. Her passion for helping create equity and serving her community extends to her work as co-founder of MAST Key Club, the Head of
Instruction for a student-led tutoring organization (Generation Connected), and as a fellow in the School Board Member Luisa Santos Office Fellowship. She is also a gymnast!
In the future, Lara hopes to continue eliciting positive changes in her community by pursuing a
medical degree and providing healthcare for underserved communities; along with continuing to
advocate for increased access to healthcare (and especially mental healthcare!).
Get to know more about our incredible team today.