I have a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, USA, and spent four months in Quito, Ecuador teaching English.
In Kansas City, I joined the city’s first Spanish-language Meetup group, ClaroKC. I quickly moved into a leadership role, serving as vicepresidenta for several years. As a co-organizer of the group, I planned weekly meetings, connected with new members, and was integral in bringing the first ever “immersion day” to fruition. During an immersion day, participants were only allowed to speak Spanish, providing an experience similar to traveling abroad. Participants completed activities around the city, which required a lot of planning ahead of time to work with shop owners, restaurants and event spaces.
In July 2015, I supported the Honduran National Futbol team (FENAFUTH) while they were in Kansas City for the CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament. This included translating for a range of situations — from shopping with the head coach to accompanying a player to a medical appointment — as well as knowing the city and being a friendly ambassador on behalf of Major League Soccer.
I am currently working toward a B2 certification at the Instituto Cervantes.