Helena Betancourt was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Growing up, she was exposed to many issues surrounding inequality, crime, territorial status and representation in Puerto Rico. Being exposed to these issues and wanting to help resolve them motivated her to pursue degrees in international affairs and criminal justice at The George Washington University. She is currently in her second year of studies. She was motivated to work for D.C. Witness because the organization focuses on transparency and on evaluating crime policies and their effectiveness in DC. With D.C Witness, Helena hopes to become more informed and educated on the DC criminal legal system and its procedure, as well as meet students and professionals passionate about criminal justice issues.