Learning and teaching has been an ongoing thread in my life; reflecting my love for education (expanding my frames of reference; gaining diverse perspectives), innovation (making new connections, exploring new frameworks) and applied competence (applying knowledge into action, implementing ideas).
I am the founder of Senti-Pensante Connections; an international consultancy based in Santa Cruz, California. Senti-pensante is a Spanish word which represents the essence of my intercultural work, the combination of sentimiento (feeling) and pensamiento (thinking). Its mission is to build bridges between inner work and social justice in service of personal transformation, social change and collective action.
Professionally, I have a 10-year experience of working as a Latino community liaison for Hospice of Santa Cruz County, providing direct services to the Latino community, where I did extensive community outreach and education in a variety of grassroots settings, and facilitated staff development training on cultural competence/humility. I currently serve as a Board Member of Community Action Board, and I hold a black belt in Aikido. Since my early teens I have been on an eclectic path of inner work—self-discovery, healing and spirituality.
I have a Masters in Counselor Education from San Jose State University. Back in my homeland Argentina, I was a Teaching Assistant of Art History at the University of Buenos Aires, where I got a B.A. in Graphic Design. After I immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1999, I designed and taught a variety of Spanish courses at Watsonville/Aptos Adult Education.
FUN LINK: MiHistoria, A living archive of Latina/Chicana/Hispana/Indigena/Afro-Latino stories: Healing Cultural Root