My story in three acts
Photography was my first love. I wanted to be a travel and documentary photographer since I was a little girl growing up in my beautiful Ecuador. I devoured every page of my father’s National Geographic magazines daydreaming of one day going to faraway places and meeting fascinating people. I took classes in high school and college and made a living as a child photographer and darkroom technician through my 20’s - first in Ecuador and upon moving to Miami in 1999.
Little did I know that my life would take a sharp turn when I left my dark room job to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals while pregnant. This led to financial struggles. Fortunately, I met the right people doing the right things and was recruited as a union organizer in 2003 while protesting in the streets. Miami’s labor and community organizing was sprouting during those days as people were organizing against the Iraq war and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Those were transformative days for me as a new mom and for my community. Moreover, photography had rapidly turned digital - a technology I didn't understand.
I loved organizing and was good at it. I left my photographer dreams on a shelf and so began my second act - the life of an organizer mom.
I cut my teeth as a union organizer working the night shift organizing janitors and maintenance workers in Miami Beach's luxury condos for SEIU's Justice for Janitors campaign. I've organized for workers rights, housing and reproductive health and to help win local, statewide and national elections and ballot initiatives. Over the last decade I've had the opportunity of sharing the many lessons learned with new organizers, having served as an Organizing Director, Field Director and Membership Director in organizations in Florida and nationally.​
Life took another sharp turn in 2022. After a divorce and becoming an empty nester, I took a solo backpacking trip to Europe feeling adventurous, anxious and in need of introspection. I came back and
bought my first professional camera and got re-aquainted with my first love - photography. Since then, I've taken several trips to Europe, Ecuador, Puerto Rico and around the US, using photography to document movements, cultures and more recently, climate disaster organizers and survivors.
I enter this new stage in life and career - my third act- full of gratitude. With years of experience in grassroots organizing, a tender heart, a keen eye (and ear!) for an impactful story and a proven ability to take on challenges and motivate others - lets work together to build the best world possible and tell the story of how we did it together!