❖ Owner/Director of Blue Star Therapy, LLC.
❖ Master of Occupational Therapy, Registered/Licensed (MOTR/L)
❖ American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Member
❖ New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association (NMOTA) Member
❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish
❖ CPR Certified

Hello, my name is Elsa Paez! I am the proud Owner and Director of Blue Star Therapy, LLC. In addition to being a business owner, I am a Licensed and Registered Occupational Therapist. I graduated from Western New Mexico University (WNMU) with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy.

I enjoy being able to help and work with people of all ages but have found that I do have an abundance of joy when working with children, especially. I have over 14 years’ experience working with the Family Infant Toddler (FIT) programs, 3+ years’ experience working in Home Health and Nursing Home establishments, and 1.5 years’ experience working with individuals on the DD waiver here in New Mexico.

I love spending time with all of my family. I especially cherish the time I get to spend with my husband of over 28 years, our son and daughter along with their spouses, and our 4 granddaughters. I am also so fortunate and blessed to have an amazing team here at Blue Star Therapy including my daughter, Krystal, who is working alongside me as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

I am absolutely honored and excited for the opportunity to work with each and every one of you! My team here at Blue Star Therapy does a great job working collaboratively in providing exceptional and quality Pediatric Out-Patient Therapy Services and Early Intervention Services (Birth to 3) through the FIT program.

❖ Bachelor’s of Science in Communication Disorders
❖  Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, Graduated with Honors
❖ Cleared level 2 Credential, Teaching Children with Moderate-Severe Exceptionalities
❖ Member of Committee for the Instructional Leadership Project led by the Department of Education
❖ Trained in Social-Emotional learning (Capturing Kids Hearts)
❖ Trained in Bi-lingual teaching (BClad)
❖ Trained in Crisis Prevention Training
❖ Attended ABA training
❖ CPR Certified

Hello, my name is Sarah Tupou. I am a level three Developmental Specialist, Family Service Coordinator, and Quality Assurance Manager. My job is to manage quality in reports, documentation, and evaluation data done through the FIT program. I am also responsible for developing strategies, improvements, and protocols for employees to follow. I train staff and work with Elsa directly for growth and productivity. 

When I'm not actively working with Elsa and the BST staff, I am teaching at Park Junior High as a 9th grade English teacher, previously a Special Education teacher for elementary and middle school aged kids. I love being apart of the growth and development of children, it has always been a passion of mine. 

In the small free time I have, I love to spend time with my husband and four kids. I especially love to travel, whether it be visiting family or seeing something new. In the confines of my own home, I really enjoy watching foreign TV shows and baking (the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you'll ever have).

I am incredibly thankful to work with Blue Star Therapy.

❖ Associate of Science (A.S.) in Occupational Therapy
❖ Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Licensed (COTA/L)
❖ New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association (NMOTA) Member
❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish
❖ CPR Certified

My name is Krystal Miles. I am a Certified and Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant here at Blue Star Therapy. I graduated from Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell (ENMU-R) with an Associate of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy.

I adore kids and love what I do. Being able to help families and their children succeed in all aspects of their daily living and accomplish their developmental milestones, is really an amazing adventure that I enjoy being a part of. I am knowledgeable, skilled, and competent in providing therapy services to school-age children and the geriatric population. I am also bilingual in English and Spanish, furthering my ability to communicate effectively with the diverse community.

Aside from work, I am a wife to a supportive husband and a mother of three beautiful girls. We enjoy quality time together when riding horses, going to my daughter’s sports activities, being around family, or just hanging out at home.

I am so excited to be a part of Blue Star Therapy, LLC and have so much pleasure working with this amazing team, the families, and the kids that we work with each and every day.

❖ Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Licensed (COTA/L)
❖ New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association (NMOTA) Member
❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish 

My name is Elizabeth Torres, I am from a small community near Ruidoso, NM. I have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren that I am very proud of.

I graduated from the Occupational Therapy program at ENMU- Roswell in 2002 and began working as a therapist for the Mescalero Apache Early Childhood Program, providing therapy to school-aged children from birth to kindergarten. Eventually, I took a second job working for Los Pasitos Early Intervention program in Roswell for 4 years, while continuing my education and obtaining my Bachelor’s degree from ENMU-Portales in 2009. In 2010, I took a position as a therapist for the Roswell Independent School District and soon after, obtained a job closer to home where I began and still currently working for the Artesia Public Schools since 2015. Once again, I took a part-time job working after school with children, birth to 3, for CARC Early Intervention until 2018, now I am excited to be providing therapy at Blue Star Therapy, LLC.

I have dedicated most of my life to working with children of all ages. Helping to give them the best quality of life that I can give by providing therapy to improve the lives of children, including those who struggle with developmental delays and special needs. I focus on improving activities of daily living, fine motor, gross motor, visual perceptual/visual motor, and sensory motor skills.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with such a great team at Blue Star Therapy and to be working closely with the families as well.

❖ Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech-Language Pathology
❖ Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
❖ American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Member
❖ National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) Member
❖ CPR Certified

Hi there! My name is Chris Padilla and I am happy to be providing speech and language therapy services to families and individuals at Blue Star therapy clinic. Blue Star, LLC. Currently provides therapy services (OT and SLP) to all ages needing support. I am honored to provide therapy services to the families of Eddy County and surrounding areas. The most obvious thing that stands out to me about Blue Star is the unity and cohesiveness of the crew at Blue Star which consists of therapists, receptionists, schedulers, etc. with each person being equally valued in the provision of services to the children and families of Eddy County. It’s simply beautiful to see so many people committed to making a difference in the lives of the individuals and families we serve. Elsa (owner, OTR/L) has always believed in families first and that is the mindset here at Blue Star because when it comes down to it, the families and individuals are our primary concern.

Personally, I feel extremely blessed to have worked in the field of speech pathology for 25 years now! Throughout my career, I have been extremely fortunate to learn from so many wonderful therapists and children we have served. That’s right, it is often the children we serve as well as their families that educate us most! I have worked across most environments and served all ages (from early intervention to geriatric population).

In 1996, I graduated from the University of New Mexico with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Disorders and in 1999 received my Master’s degree in speech and language pathology from Easter New Mexico university. I have been practicing in the field of speech pathology since the winter of 1997. As I try to recall some of the time over the past 25 years, one thing is clear to me: it seems more like 10 years than 25 and what a blessing it has been to be in a position to serve people and have the opportunity to help people.

Finally, I am happy to see the future of Eddy County and surrounding areas appear bright as the team at Blue Star look forward to providing therapy services to those in need. We feel privileged with the opportunity to support the individuals and their families by providing quality therapy services to the best of our ability. We thank you, in advance, for trusting us to work with your children and/or loved one and in return, vow to give our best to making a difference in the lives of the people we serve. Thank you, for giving us the opportunity to be just a part of a wonderful progression toward the development of children in and around Eddy County.

❖ Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Communicative Disorders

❖ Licensed Apprentice in Speech and Language (ASL)

❖ American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Member

❖ National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) Member

❖ CPR Certified 

Hello, my name is Jasmine Austin. I am an Apprentice in Speech and Language (ASL). I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Disorders at ENMU in Portales, NM in May 2018. I am currently in the graduate program at ENMU to get my Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology.

My clinical experiences include providing services to individuals from infancy to 11 years old in articulation disorders, language disorders, Apraxia, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. I have had the opportunity to work with CARC, INC in Artesia, NM: an early intervention program for children with developmental delays, as well as the Artesia Public Schools and Blue Star Therapy, LLC.

❖ Family Service Coordinator (FSC)
❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish
❖ CPR Certified

Hello, my name is Monique Cardona, and I work as a Family Service Coordinator for Blue Star Therapy. I was born and raised in Artesia, where I am now a mother of two wonderful kids that inspire me to help children grow and develop. Working with kids and helping others has always been a passion of mine. 

I was given the opportunity to work with Blue Star Therapy in 2021 and have truly enjoyed meeting kids and their families. Helping kids meet their goals has always been heartwarming to me. In July of 2022, I received my certificate for Family Service Coordination, Early Intervention. I plan on furthering my career in learning more on how to help kids be their best selves.

❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish
❖ CPR Certified

Hello, my name is Iris Velo. I work here at Blue Star Therapy as a Biller. I also do Data Entry. I was born and raised in Artesia, where I am now married with three lovely kids. In my past time I love spending time with my family. I enjoy supporting my kids and their activities, especially through watching my kids' basketball and football games.

I graduated from Artesia High School and love to help my local community. I also have 3 years of experience billing, and 2 years of experience servicing families. I was given the opportunity to work here at Blue Star Therapy in November of 2022. I look forward to helping Blue Star Therapy and our patients in any way I can.

❖ Family Service Coordinator 
❖ Student at University of Arizona Global Campus

My name is Catherine Olguin, and I live in Artesia, New Mexico. I work for Blue Star as their Family Service Coordinator; I will be doing intake for the company. I aim to get to know my new families and help provide services to them. 

I am currently a student at the University of Arizona Global Campus. I will graduate on August 26, 2024, with my BA in Early Childhood Education. I have four lovely daughters and our cat named Winston. My hobbies include shopping, watching movies on Netflix, and working out when possible. I also attend Faith Baptist Church. I hope to be a strong addition to the team and look forward to working with you all.

❖ Certified Developmental Specialist
❖ Certified Family Service Coordinator
❖ Bilingual in English and Spanish
❖ CPR Certified 

Hello my name is Norma Lujan, I work as a Family Service Coordinator and Developmental Specialist for Blue Star Therapy. I was raised in El Paso but moved to Artesia 10 years ago. I previously worked as a Teacher Assistant for Head Start Preschool where I was able to help little minds grow. Working with families and children has always been my passion. I am currently attending ENMU-R working towards my Associates on Behavioral Sciences. 

❖ Medical Assistance License
❖ Student at Grand Canyon University

Hello, I am Mystery Ann Stephens and I am a Developmental Therapist II for Blue Star Therapy. I work to help children grow and develop in accordance to their age. I work with the FIT Program to perform Early Intervention and assessments/evaluations to best conform to each child's needs. I am going to Grand Canyon University for Public Health and plan to continue on for speech pathology. 

Aside from work, I love to spend time with my family. I have a husband and a beautiful little boy. I also like to watch Netflix in my free time. as well as bake. I am excited to grow alongside my coworkers and the families I work with.

❖ Bachelors in Communication Disorders at NMSU - Honors 
❖ Master of Arts (M.A.) in Speech-Language Pathology
❖ Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
❖ American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Member

Hi everyone, my name is Lia Johnson, I go by “Ms. Lia.” I have been a Speech-Language Pathologist for three years now! I graduated with my bachelors in Communication Disorders at New Mexico State University in May of 2019 and continued with my masters in May of 2021 both with honors. 

I began my SLP journey at the schools. I took a break to stay home with my newborn son at the time, but I couldn’t stay away long so this is my first year working with Early Intervention. I absolutely love it! I enjoy meeting these families and their precious children that I get to spend some time with! The beauty about language is that EVERYTHING is language! It is part of your everyday routines and I love being part of that support system to help guide families with incorporating some strategies to enhance a language rich environment! I’m very appreciative to be a part of this amazing team and program.

❖ CPR Certified 
❖ Student at South East New Mexico College

Hello, my name is Kiana Tupou. I have been working as a part time file clerk at Blue Star Therapy since September of 2022. As an assistant, my job is to file and organize paperwork, data entry, and maintain this website. As the receptionist, I am one of the first faces you see. I am in charge of completing child intakes for clinic children, sending and receiving referrals, as well as filing paperwork for clinic kids.

I was born and raised in Camarillo, California, and have since moved from there to Louisiana, and from Louisiana to here in Artesia. I am currently a student at Carlsbad Early College High School (CECHS) as well as South East New Mexico College (SENMC). Hopefully I will graduate May 2024 and go off to a 4 year college. I am lucky to be employed here at BST and hope to be a warm and welcoming face to parents and kids alike.