Juliana Santos

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Juliana has always had a passion for helping others and engaging with
children and families. After arriving in the United States of America in 1994, Juliana grew up in Boston,
MA, and in 2005 made her permanent residence in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Throughout her educational years, Juliana continued with her passion for humanitarian services and in 2011 earned her Bachelors of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. To celebrate her educational success, Juliana decided to volunteer abroad in Hohoe, Ghana with an international volunteer organization.
She had no idea that this trip would be the start of a lifetime adventure. With a single encounter with a local youth in Hohoe, Juliana learned that there was a need for reading books, school supplies, and health care essentials.
While volunteering in Hohoe, Juliana met Amily Dupre and Kofi Andrews and discovered that they shared her passion for humanitarian services. This sparked the conception of Rising Roots Foundation.
Since 2011, Rising Roots Foundation has been growing and evolving, and will continue to thrive!