Debalina Chatterjee is The Carying Place’s Graduate Program Manager, overseeing the journey of TCP graduates as they move from workforce development to homeownership readiness.

Debalina holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and has 9 years of life science research experience in both academia and industry. She first connected with The Carying Place as a volunteer in 2016–2017 through the Thursday night Children’s Program, especially working with teenagers. During that time, she discovered a passion for supporting youth and underprivileged populations in the community. This new calling inspired her to pivot away from her engineering career and pursue an internship with The Carying Place’s Children’s Program Coordinator, where she found joy in planning activities, sharing her own stories of perseverance, and encouraging children to feel cared for and valued.

In January 2018, Debalina joined The Carying Place staff as a Children’s Program Specialist and later expanded her work as a Graduate Program Specialist. In her current role as Graduate Program Manager, she continues to motivate and guide graduate families—helping them maintain the skills learned while in housing, strengthen employment, reduce debt, and ultimately prepare for the milestone of homeownership when it is their goal.