As a young child growing up in one of the two minority-majority states within the US, my life was immersed in diversity. New Mexico provided many opportunities for me to grow, learn, diversify and then grow some more. I am a first-generation college graduate in my family and poverty was a part of my early childhood. Living somewhat of a transient life, living in 3 states and 6 different cities before I was 12 years old, I learned fast what it meant to acclimate to new surroundings, new styles and cultures. As a white female with Italian and Germanic roots, throughout life I have been fortunate to have been provided with many opportunities that I deeply value which have allowed me to participate and be embraced within diverse cultural experiences and traditions. My pursuit of finding connection and unity through our diverse spiritual paths is a cornerstone of my practice.
Graduating from the University of New Mexico with an education degree allowed me opportunities to work with at-risk youth through the Boys Town program supporting young adults facing their own set of challenges. I was honored to be a teacher and mentor to my students who came from varying backgrounds. As life takes unexpected turns, I became an Accountant and eventually Financial Controller working for several non-profits; serving at Roadrunner Food Bank, providing food and resources across the state of NM and for NAPPR, providing counseling services to Native American populations and most recently working with the Dumb Friends League in Denver, supporting the welfare of animals, those who cannot speak for themselves.
There is always a need for growth, for stretching our understanding and my daughter has provided me with even more ways to grow. She first came out to me as transgender during her senior year of high school. Being by her side as she has navigated the challenges and joys has been transformative to my own soul. She is a talented young artist, recent graduate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and she is creating comics and finding her way along this path of life. As an extension of my support for the LGBTQ2+ community I volunteer for Inside Out Youth Services in Colorado Springs.
By reflecting on my life experiences, it has allowed me to understand my privileged space within systems of oppression. It is through the recognition of this imbalance of power, institutional bias and ongoing systems of oppression that internal and societal change can be realized. Within this awareness, I am committed to cultivating mutual respect, empathy and understanding within our classroom space.
Ultimately, the space we create for ourselves in our mind should be welcoming, but to do so, we must face the boxes we may have stored within, the ones created by ourselves and others, that we’ve hidden away from the world. This exploration and willingness to dig in to those areas that may be darker, confusing and un-accepting are what creates room for a welcoming and safe inner sanctuary.
My plans and goals are to continue to be an advocate for the LGBTQ2+ community and homeless populations as this work is essential. There is a need, perhaps even hunger, for acceptance, love and understanding in our world today. Each of us holds responsibility to our community and to this world, it is through respect, compassion and the love that we are born with, not necessarily what we learn love is, but what love truly is, that we can support and empower one another to be the best version of ourselves.
My goals for this workshop are to actively listen with an open heart and support all participants, to honor their unique inner reflection and spiritual, or non-spiritual, self in support of uncovering their beauty and finding a sanctuary for creative and artistic expression.