About VIDA Training Center

About VIDA

Our Story

VIDA Training Center was established in 2013 by María Barranco and is led today by María and her daughter, Erika Fassrainer. Our purpose is clear: to create meaningful opportunities for people to strengthen their professional skills, advance their careers and serve their communities with confidence.

VIDA began with a special commitment to increasing access for Spanish-speaking professionals, particularly in the mental and behavioral health fields. Today, that commitment has grown into a welcoming, bilingual learning community that serves students from every background and prepares them for opportunities across behavioral health, healthcare, education and human services.

After seeing too many training centers and schools fall short of the standards their students deserved, María founded VIDA as a formal training center built differently, and Erika now leads that same standard every day. VIDA is grounded in ethics, integrity and respect for the essential skills every student must develop to become a competent, confident professional. That conviction guides every program, every instructor and every student experience.

VIDA Training Center leaders María Barranco and Erika Fassrainer — María Barranco and Erika Fassrainer, VIDA's mother-daughter leadership team

2013

Serving students since

42,000+

Students trained

VIDA

Student support

13+

Years of experience

Our leadership

A mother-daughter team with a shared purpose

Today, Erika Fassrainer and María Barranco lead VIDA together. Their combined experience in educational leadership, business administration, psychology, special education and applied behavior analysis brings academic depth, practical leadership and a shared commitment to the organization.

María brings an extensive background in business administration and more than four decades of immigrant experience in the United States. Erika holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University. She is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University.

Together, they lead VIDA with passion, accountability and a belief that education can renew careers, strengthen families and create lasting change in every community.

The leadership behind VIDA

Meet Erika and María

A mother and daughter united by rigorous standards, educational opportunity and a genuine commitment to the people and communities VIDA serves.

Co-Director

Erika Fassrainer

Business leadership, organizational growth, program development and student experience

Erika Fassrainer serves as Co-Director of VIDA Training Center, where she leads the academy's expansion, program development and student experience. She brings together academic preparation, operational leadership and a deep understanding of the communities VIDA serves to ensure that every program remains relevant, ethical and centered on student success.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University. She is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University and is working toward Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification. Erika is also a Certified Professional Crisis Management Instructor, directly certified through the Professional Crisis Management Association.

As a minority professional whose own life was transformed by education, Erika believes learning should create real opportunity, confidence and independence. Her leadership is guided by a genuine love for her community and a commitment to building a lasting legacy that helps others strengthen their lives, families and futures.

Business leadership, expansion and program development
Doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership
Master's in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis
Certified Professional Crisis Management Instructor

Founder & Co-Director

María Barranco

Institutional integrity, business leadership and community opportunity

María Barranco is the founder and Co-Director of VIDA Training Center. With an extensive background in business administration, she established VIDA in 2013 as an academy where ethics, integrity and respect for professional standards would never be compromised. She continues to guide the organization with careful attention to accountability, quality and the guidelines that protect students and the communities they will serve.

Of Venezuelan and Cuban heritage, María came to the United States as an immigrant more than 40 years ago. Her own journey gave her a lasting empathy for the Latino community and for every person working to create a new future through education. She built VIDA to turn that understanding into opportunity, while welcoming students from every culture and background.

María believes a training academy must do more than provide information. It must honor the trust students place in it, maintain strong academic and ethical standards, and prepare people to serve others with competence and compassion. That conviction remains at the heart of VIDA's culture and its responsibility to the community.

Founder of VIDA Training Center in 2013
Extensive business administration and leadership experience
More than 40 years of immigrant experience in the United States
Champions ethics, integrity and academic accountability

Our mission

Preparing capable professionals to make a meaningful difference

Our mission is to provide ethical, accessible and career-focused education that equips students from all communities with the knowledge, practical skills and professional confidence they need to enter the field prepared. We honor the responsibility behind every role we teach, because well-prepared professionals have the power to improve the lives of the people and communities they serve.

A training partner, not just a course

Experience since 2013

More than a decade preparing students for behavioral health and healthcare careers.

Student support

Ask our team which languages are currently available for your chosen course.

Guidance at every step

Our team helps you understand requirements and next steps before, during and after training.

Professional instructors

Courses taught by professionals working in the fields they teach.

Career-focused training

Programs built around what employers and credentialing bodies actually expect.

Flexible for working adults

Schedules and formats designed for students who work and have families.

Ready to get started?

Explore our programs or speak with a bilingual advisor today.

Explore Programs Talk to an Advisor