Which program format did you choose and why?
For many years, The Neo-Futurists [theater company] has been more than my place of employment; it has been my community and has come to rely on me as a part of its leadership. I have an immediate responsibility to the community that has supported me, especially now when livelihoods are at stake, to see us through overlapping crises and the subsequent recovery. My acceptance to Booth for the part-time weekend program will mean furthering a personal mission while supporting my friends and family during a dire time.
Tell us about your career journey and how you got to where you are now within the social sector.
For several years following secondary school, I was working professionally as an actor and storyteller in the Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago markets, however, I found the entertainment industry was - and still is - struggling to move beyond clichés and stereotypes of Latinidad. Upon reestablishing myself in Chicago, I dedicated myself as a producer and a writer to the rehabilitation of these narratives and eventually found myself at The Neo-Futurists. Their emphasis on autobiographical, experimental work drew me in as an artist and their unique consensus-based structure prompted me to take on a leadership role as the managing director. Reflecting on the companies I had worked with previously, I realized that much of the harm and iniquities found in arts industries is intrinsically tied to the hierarchical model and thus my desire to seek the skills needed to fundamentally change the nature of nonprofit arts organizations.