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Socio-emotional learning (SEL) and sustainability educator, educational innovator, artist, and community-engagement leader who has been focused since 1999 on creating educational programs and experiences that nurture connections, creativity, and joy in a rapidly globalizing world. Growing up in war-torn El Salvador shaped my lifelong commitment to using education as a force for peace, equity, joy, and positive social change. My work connects children and communities with nature, culture, their inner creative selves, and one another while developing the social-emotional and intercultural intelligences needed to thrive in a complex world.
My approach brings together social-emotional learning (SEL), experiential education, the arts/creative expression, environmental stewardship, nonviolent communication, adaptability, open-mindedness, and cross-cultural collaboration. I have designed and led early childhood programs across daycares, preschools, K–12 schools, early childhood homeschooling settings, after-school programs, community and cultural organizations, public spaces, summer camps, and international learning environments. I am particularly passionate about creating learning experiences that are joyful, participatory, culturally responsive, and grounded in real-world connections.
As an educational entrepreneur, I founded Conexiones Institute and developed bilingual programs that served thousands of children and families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including AVENTURAS, Spanish Through Fun, Spanish Through the Arts, AVENTURAS+ Summer Camp, and Spanish Through New-Media Arts. I also co-founded Three Seeds Eco-Education Camp in Costa Rica, where students and families experience rainforest ecology, sustainable living, horticulture, service learning, and Costa Rican culture. Along the way, I have built and managed diverse teams, produced cultural events, cultivated community and institutional partnerships, developed educational content and training resources, and helped turn innovative ideas into sustainable programs.
Today, I continue to work at the intersection of education, creativity, culture, technology, and community impact. Whether developing educational programs, engaging diverse stakeholders, creating bilingual children's media and publications, or building new community-centered initiatives, I bring a systems-thinking mindset, entrepreneurial energy, cultural fluency, and a deep belief that education can help people connect more meaningfully with their creative selves, with one another, and with their communities and world. This website has some samples of my work and underlying foundation of all that I do to help leave this world a little better for our children.

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