About Me

My Story

I am proud to be the product of a rich history of migration. My great-grandparents on my father’s side were Syrian and Lebanese; my grandparents and my father are Colombian. I was born in Brazil to my Peruvian mother.

My multicultural upbringing nurtured a profound respect for cultural diversity and a passion for creative expression. Growing up in Lima, I witnessed how colonization and diverse forms of discrimination led to extreme social inequality, division and low civic solidarity. I felt compelled to apply my creative skills, curiosity and empathy towards nurturing more just, inclusive and equitable societies.

Through my studies in Communications, I gained technical skills in media production and understood the complexities of our social issues through the study of creative and cultural productions, particularly the role they play in the construction of identity and the reproduction of harmful biases. During my masters program, I researched horror films produced in the Peruvian Andes at the wake of the Internal Armed Conflict, and curated the Andean Horror Film Fest to celebrate the historic and cultural relevance of these media works often disregarded in Peru.

Driven by a passion and commitment to the arts, education and community engagement, my professional journey has led me to serve as:

• Film instructor at the high school and post-secondary levels, with a focus on film studies, introductory filmmaking and documentary filmmaking;
• Creator, curator and producer of Vancouver’s first and only Andean Horror Film Fest;
• Outreach and festival coordinator, and now board member, at the Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth, a non-profit charity dedicated to providing authentic film programming and accessible media literacy opportunities for youth;
• Volunteer coordinator and co-curator of the Queer Pix short film program at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, a non-profit charity dedicated to promoting Latin American cinema and culture in Vancouver;
• Program coordinator at SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, where I worked closely with diverse community organizations in the production of artist talks, live performances, book launches, speaker series and film screenings;
• Manager of youth and community programs in the continuing studies department at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Canada’s top university for the arts, where I led and managed processes related to the planning and implementation of diverse art and design programs for youth ages 12-18, including summer intensives, spring break camps, year-round workshops, partnerships with art galleries and bridging programs towards undergraduate studies.

As a community-engaged curator, educator and program manager, I strive to create engaging social experiences that foster curiosity, critical thinking, creative experimentation, respectful dialogue, social connection and community-building.

Last year, I learned that I’m an ADHD’er and many of my life-long struggles started to make sense. Since then, I’ve been diving deep into the science of flow, creativity, and healthy habits for integrative well-being.

Connect with me on LinkedIn!