I met Chris Fontana 13 years ago in Central Park in Antigua, Guatemala while selling traditional handicrafts with my mother. After our third encounter, I was curious about the work Chris’s group was doing, and he introduced me to Global Visionaries. The next year I became involved with Global Visionaries and the construction team. Now I have 7 years in total working with GV. As a result, I have learned a great deal about racism, leadership, and to treat all people equally. GV helped me to step out of my comfort zone, for example, I became more comfortable meeting new people. I was a trip leader in Guatemala with GV, working with high school students. In 2010 Global Visionaries supported me to come to Seattle and work with EarthCorps to learn about the environment and leadership. 

Recently I finished my EarthCorps program and now I have the opportunity to spend 6 months with GV in the Seattle office as an Assistant Program Manager. I will help with recruitment, training, and the trip to Guatemala. Additionally, I will be working with several of our partnership programs such as EarthCorps and Youth Ventures and will be looking for ways in which GV students can have a greater understanding of social and environmental justice.

As for what I like to do: I like playing football, dancing merengue, working hard, learning new things every day, spending time with my friends, hiking, camping, but the most important thing for me is living sincerely. I have an older and younger brother, no sisters, I live with my parents, and I have a German Shepherd named Kayser.