Alexandra Castro is an immigrant from Colombia that is an entrepreneurial trailblazer. Arriving to the U.S. was nothing short of a challenge but Alexandra was a chef with a plan. After running her family pizza restaurant in Colombia, she also managed a high-end restaurant in Montreal, which laid the foundational training and experience she needed to launch herself forward. Since returning to the U.S., she focuses on her culinary career and building her business. As the owner and founder of Everything Dough, LLC, she spends her time designing and making pizzas for weekly farmers markets, private catering events, special order sales, and of course, for private or corporate gatherings that truly pull a community together.

In addition to being a pizza chef, she is a proficient baker creating specialty baked goodies, teaching cooking classes for adults and youth, and creating content for her thriving social media platforms. While building her culinary empire she is equally as focused on creating new friendships and spending time with her loving husband and family.

Cynthia Alvarez is a first generation Mexican American who grew up in a multigenerational household and is deeply proud of her family history. She exudes gratitude for the choices and sacrifices her parents and grandparents made for their growing family. She talks intimately how her grandparents impacted her values and self-esteem and how her family is still influential to her life decisions.

As a young mother of a son, she is committed to raising him in a similar setting surrounded by multigenerational family members, along with her loving husband, Jesús.

Cynthia is an alumnae from Bentley University who quickly created a network of friends who were diverse and supportive and continue to be closely connected. Her collegiate experience helped form her position on diversity, equity and inclusion. Cynthia’s work post-graduation was immensely satisfying as she worked with adult learners learning English as a Second Language. Often the only team member who could speak fluently to students in their native language, building trust and easing their concerns, she created a safe haven where adult students knew they would be supported as she researched resources on their behalf. She is passionate about fostering safe communities for our immigrant neighbors, friends and loved ones.

Julie Faryniarz is the Executive Director for Greenwich Alliance for Education and has much to share about the fabulous initiatives and programs they have for the youth in Greenwich, CT.

Over the last 18 years they have worked collaboratively and in partnership with the Greenwich Public Schools and its teachers as the local education foundation to drive innovation, opportunity and access in learning to empower all students to achieve academic, personal and professional success. They fund innovation to elevate achievement and inclusion for all Greenwich public school students resulting in creativity and personalized learning. With programs like Tuning In To Music and their Reaching Out Grants available to teachers to utilize to expand learning opportunities to enhance their curriculum, they are a nonprofit to learn from! Their funding to implement the international AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) program in the Greenwich schools has made the possibility of college attainable to hundreds of students by teaching essential academic and executive functioning skills to close gaps and raise achievement. Julie and her AVID SUCCESS Program Director, Trish Rohr, have presented their work and programming for these first-gen college going students at AVID national conferences.

They are on the cusp of the 1 million dollar mark in college scholarship giving and are seeing full circle moments as alumni return to volunteer, donate and help current students leverage professional internship opportunities.

Greenwich Alliance for Education is a registered 501C3 and is reliant on funding to continue their impactful programs.

Julie Faryniarz is the Executive Director for Greenwich Alliance for Education and has much to share about the fabulous initiatives and programs they have for the youth in Greenwich, CT.

Over the last 18 years they have worked collaboratively and in partnership with the Greenwich Public Schools and its teachers as the local education foundation to drive innovation, opportunity and access in learning to empower all students to achieve academic, personal and professional success. They fund innovation to elevate achievement and inclusion for all Greenwich public school students resulting in creativity and personalized learning. With programs like Tuning In To Music and their Reaching Out Grants available to teachers to utilize to expand learning opportunities to enhance their curriculum, they are a nonprofit to learn from! Their funding to implement the international AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) program in the Greenwich schools has made the possibility of college attainable to hundreds of students by teaching essential academic and executive functioning skills to close gaps and raise achievement. Julie and her AVID SUCCESS Program Director, Trish Rohr, have presented their work and programming for these first-gen college going students at AVID national conferences.

They are on the cusp of the 1 million dollar mark in college scholarship giving and are seeing full circle moments as alumni return to volunteer, donate and help current students leverage professional internship opportunities.

Greenwich Alliance for Education is a registered 501C3 and is reliant on funding to continue their impactful programs.

Nancy Meckel is back again in season 2 for another interview and we couldn’t be more pleased about this!

An experienced instructor of English as a Second Language and accent coach to adults, and founder/owner of American English Guide, Nancy brings her years of expertise, experience, dedication and passion for language to our conversation.

In this episode Nancy and I will explore her belief in the importance of LISTENING, why it is one of the key skills for active and engaged communication. We’ll talk about strategies and skills to develop the ability to truly listen and about the indispensable part listening plays in connecting people across cultures.

We live in a diverse society where the abilities of listening for the speaker’s meaning and speaking comprehensibly are key to each of us finding our voice.

Judy Betz is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Italy. Her father came on a boat from Italy as a stowaway after paying $1,000 while her mother came through Ellis Island. Her parents didn’t know each other while living in their native country but met later in the U.S., fell in love, started their life together, and fully immersed in the American culture. You’ll hear the amazing story of how her father attained his U.S. citizenship and served in WWII as an American soldier.

Judy graduated college with a degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Early Childhood education. After a short stint in the classroom she became an owner/administrator of The Purchase Children’s Center where she spent her entire career as a compassionate and committed educator. Later in her career she became an ESL tutor working with adult learners and continues serving this community of students. Her teaching and interactions with the adult learners in her classroom often has her thinking of her mother and father. In her retirement, she enjoys teaching ESL, traveling, and having fun with her grandchildren.

Conor Barbieri is having the experience of a lifetime. He is currently in Nepal serving in the Peace Corps and is teaching English as a Second Language in an elementary school. With full immersion into a new culture and daily living, he is making impact with young learners while bringing technology and 21st century tools into their curriculum. Through his creative lesson planning and commitment to developing their young minds, he has successfully written grants that bring students’ learning into a new dimension.

As a alumni of George Washington University, Conor was looking for a challenge and way to give back that would be substantial and impactful. He trained for teaching ESL in the U.S. with beginner level adults newly arrived from Afghanistan. He feels this prepared him well for his Peace Corps duty.

He is half-way through his 27 month commitment and continues to enjoy his host family, while making significant impact within the school community.

Sara Olivia Garcia is a first-generation American with deep family roots from Mexico. At 86 years of age, she has an incredible life story to share with us, and opens up in a deep conversation about how family and career choices can change the trajectory of your life’s path.

Her mother and grandparents fled Mexico during the revolution when Pancho Villa was making it dangerous to stay in their country. They left quickly with only the clothes on their backs and what they could carry in their arms. They settled in El Paso and attempted to build a new life. Their hearts and spirits were broken with the reality of starting over and nothing was quite the same. As Sara Olivia grew up as young girl, she would listen to stories from her grandmother and learn about her Mexican heritage and daydreamed about what life would’ve been like if they hadn’t been forced to leave.

Sara Olivia married and raised 5 children while traveling around the world with her husband who was a U.S. Army Lieutenant. Life in the military and having to move often was not easy for her and the family. When finally feeling empowered to begin college classes as a mature adult, her goals and focus shifted in a new and refreshing way as she engaged in deep critical thinking. Knowledge and learning brought her much joy, and later it created many opportunities for her career pathway.

She holds teaching certifications in regular, special education, and bi-lingual education in Spanish, with her special expertise in the area of children with learning differences. Sara has over 25 years of experience teaching at-risk students in regular and Special Education in Elementary, Middle and High School in Tucson, Arizona, Boston, Massachusetts and the South Bronx, New York. Her teaching experience includes staff development for teachers in low-performing schools, as a National trainer for the Efficacy Institute, Inc., where the mission is to debunk the myth of the social construction of intellectual inferiority among people of color. She also developed and facilitated culturally appropriate education workshops for parents of diverse populations. Her Doctoral work at Fielding Graduate University focused on identifying Indigenous people’s wisdom and worldview on care of planetary resources as part of character education and development.

Sara is a proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother who is actively involved in her family’s lives.

Nettie Parker Bauman is a passionate, empathetic and tenacious immigration attorney working closely with women, men and their families through the legal process of transitioning to the U.S. from another country. As an independent attorney, she represents asylum-seekers in the U.S. Immigration Courts and at U.S. Asylum Offices. She provides direct counsel and resources that ensure their safety and a smooth transition.

Nettie has a particular passion for domestic violence survivors from other countries.

In addition to her work with immigrants, she is a published author and poet. She has been published in numerous poetry journals and her first book of poetry, “Seagulls at Walmart” was released in 2023. Additionally, her first novel, “Tiny Righteous Acts” was published in early 2020. Her creative works are sparked by the inspiration she feels from her legal work with clients and from growing up in her beloved New Orleans.

She attended college and law school in her hometown of New Orleans and later moved to New York when she met her future husband. She is the proud mother of two boys, a cat, a dog, and a turtle. Nettie is an avid nature lover and finds refuge when hiking on trails near to home.

Jesús Reyes arrived from his native country, Mexico, at 17 years old. After a childhood of visiting the U.S. while his father worked as a seasonal migrant worker, he made the decision to move with his older brothers and finish high school in CT. As an ESL student he was challenged with learning English and his classes while working part-time to contribute to rent. As the youngest of ten children, his family’s love and support was at the center of his world and helped with the transition to a new country. As a naturally creative person, it was when he attended community college shortly after high school that he tapped into graphic design and began creating art on his terms. Upon graduation, his portfolio was full of pieces that were gallery quality. He has less time to paint now, but dabbles in photography and graphics, which is why he was contracted to design the logo for the Finding Our Voices Today podcast!

Currently he is working hard as a foreman for a construction company and often assists one of his brothers with his event planning business. When he isn’t working or spending time with family and friends, you can find him teaching his young son everything about soccer and traditional Mexican customs while enjoying life with his beautiful wife, Cynthia.