Mauricio Real
Chair
Mauricio Real was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 2001, he came to the United States at the age of 21 and moved to Corvallis, OR in 2006 to pursue his bachelor degree in electrical engineering at Oregon State University (Go Beavs!). Then he moved to Portland, OR to pursue his Master's degree in electrical engineering at Portland State University (Go Vikings!).
While living in Oregon he met his wife Christine and together they have two wonderful children Matias and Camila. Mauricio has been involved with Educate Ya since 2019 when he was first introduced to the organization through one of his close friends and he is looking forward to many more years of service with the Latinxs community.
Chair
Mauricio Real was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 2001, he came to the United States at the age of 21 and moved to Corvallis, OR in 2006 to pursue his bachelor degree in electrical engineering at Oregon State University (Go Beavs!). Then he moved to Portland, OR to pursue his Master's degree in electrical engineering at Portland State University (Go Vikings!).
While living in Oregon he met his wife Christine and together they have two wonderful children Matias and Camila. Mauricio has been involved with Educate Ya since 2019 when he was first introduced to the organization through one of his close friends and he is looking forward to many more years of service with the Latinxs community.
Mauricio Real
Co-Chair
Javier Puga-Phillips is an award-winning Real Estate Advisor and board member at Educateya. With over 17 years of experience in Southern California’s real estate market, Javier has successfully assisted domestic and international home buyers, sellers, and renters. Since 2005, he has specialized in residential real estate across the Los Angeles area and Inland Empire. Now a resident of the Alberta Arts District in NE Portland, he has in-depth knowledge of market values, amenities, and housing inventory in Portland's most desirable neighborhoods. His background in international real estate transactions and his own relocation experience enable him to provide outstanding service to clients looking to buy, sell, or relocate along the West Coast. In addition to his work as a licensed real estate agent, Javier is a published author who enjoys sharing his personal approach to well-being with audiences worldwide. He is fluent in English and Spanish, with basic knowledge of German.
Co-Chair
Javier Puga-Phillips is an award-winning Real Estate Advisor and board member at Educateya. With over 17 years of experience in Southern California’s real estate market, Javier has successfully assisted domestic and international home buyers, sellers, and renters. Since 2005, he has specialized in residential real estate across the Los Angeles area and Inland Empire. Now a resident of the Alberta Arts District in NE Portland, he has in-depth knowledge of market values, amenities, and housing inventory in Portland's most desirable neighborhoods. His background in international real estate transactions and his own relocation experience enable him to provide outstanding service to clients looking to buy, sell, or relocate along the West Coast. In addition to his work as a licensed real estate agent, Javier is a published author who enjoys sharing his personal approach to well-being with audiences worldwide. He is fluent in English and Spanish, with basic knowledge of German.
David Zambrano
Treasurer
My name is David Zambrano, I am originally from Venezuela, and I have lived in Portland for almost 25 years. I’ve been volunteering with Educate Ya for almost 15 years as a trainer for their Health Educators Program and I am now also a Board Member. My current profession is a Medical Case Manager for the Multnomah County Health Department where I have been working for 22 years. Some of my accomplishments since living in Portland include producing the Miss and Mister Oregon Latin Look Pageants since 1998. I have also been the Producer of Miss Latin Look International pageant since 2006. I have also produced the Miss, Teen, and Mister Latino Oregon Pageants since 2002. Two of the things I love most in life are dancing and traveling.
Treasurer
My name is David Zambrano, I am originally from Venezuela, and I have lived in Portland for almost 25 years. I’ve been volunteering with Educate Ya for almost 15 years as a trainer for their Health Educators Program and I am now also a Board Member. My current profession is a Medical Case Manager for the Multnomah County Health Department where I have been working for 22 years. Some of my accomplishments since living in Portland include producing the Miss and Mister Oregon Latin Look Pageants since 1998. I have also been the Producer of Miss Latin Look International pageant since 2006. I have also produced the Miss, Teen, and Mister Latino Oregon Pageants since 2002. Two of the things I love most in life are dancing and traveling.
Marly Constanza
Board Member
Marly Constanza Ocampo B. was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she graduated as a Psychologist in the year 2000 and works from Social Psychology with black, indigenous and peasant population victims of the armed conflict in that country. She arrived in Portland, Oregon at the end of 2018 and since then it has been connected with community work and the migrant population that inhabits the state.
Her experience and personality lead her to connect with people in a warm and effective way, generating confidence to understand and attend to the needs that arise from the community,
He has been part of Educate Ya since 2019, started as a participant in health training and from 2022 as a member of the Organization's board of directors, demonstrating his affinity and interest in multiculturalism and the importance of popular education as a strategy to improve quality. of life of the migrant.
Board Member
Marly Constanza Ocampo B. was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she graduated as a Psychologist in the year 2000 and works from Social Psychology with black, indigenous and peasant population victims of the armed conflict in that country. She arrived in Portland, Oregon at the end of 2018 and since then it has been connected with community work and the migrant population that inhabits the state.
Her experience and personality lead her to connect with people in a warm and effective way, generating confidence to understand and attend to the needs that arise from the community,
He has been part of Educate Ya since 2019, started as a participant in health training and from 2022 as a member of the Organization's board of directors, demonstrating his affinity and interest in multiculturalism and the importance of popular education as a strategy to improve quality. of life of the migrant.
Graham Harris
Board Member
My name is Graham and I grew up in Portland, Oregon and currently live in Seattle, Washington where I attend University of Washington School of Medicine.
I started taking lessons at Educate Ya when I was 14 years old, but did not discover my passion for learning Spanish until 2018 when I moved to Oaxaca, Mexico to study Spanish. Upon returning in 2019, I began working at Educate Ya as the Community Programs Coordinator and English teacher. I stopped working at Educate Ya to pursue a career in healthcare in 2020, but I have continued to spend time at the office whenever I can. I am grateful to be a part of the board of directors and am always excited to see the hard work being done to benefit our local community.
Board Member
My name is Graham and I grew up in Portland, Oregon and currently live in Seattle, Washington where I attend University of Washington School of Medicine.
I started taking lessons at Educate Ya when I was 14 years old, but did not discover my passion for learning Spanish until 2018 when I moved to Oaxaca, Mexico to study Spanish. Upon returning in 2019, I began working at Educate Ya as the Community Programs Coordinator and English teacher. I stopped working at Educate Ya to pursue a career in healthcare in 2020, but I have continued to spend time at the office whenever I can. I am grateful to be a part of the board of directors and am always excited to see the hard work being done to benefit our local community.
Claudia Hetherington
MEMBER
My name is Claudia Hetherington. By profession I am an attorney and hold a bachelors and MA in biological sciences. I have been working with Educate Ya for three years and have been a supporter for five years. This is a wonderful organization that speaks to my heart, education as a means to empowerment. I value education and believe it is the best way to help oneself to expand and grow. Educate ya! Helps people accomplish this and so much more. During the pandemic the organization partnered with FEMA and held many vaccine centers and helped in educating people on staying safe. Its involvement within the community made it a great vehicle for outreach. I am happy to be on the board and help guide this organization.
MEMBER
My name is Claudia Hetherington. By profession I am an attorney and hold a bachelors and MA in biological sciences. I have been working with Educate Ya for three years and have been a supporter for five years. This is a wonderful organization that speaks to my heart, education as a means to empowerment. I value education and believe it is the best way to help oneself to expand and grow. Educate ya! Helps people accomplish this and so much more. During the pandemic the organization partnered with FEMA and held many vaccine centers and helped in educating people on staying safe. Its involvement within the community made it a great vehicle for outreach. I am happy to be on the board and help guide this organization.
Amanda Boman-Mejía
Board Member
My name is Amanda Boman-Mejía and I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, a very cold place on the tip of Gichi-Gami (Lake Superior). Currently I am an uninvited guest on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, and the Molalla (otherwise known as Portland, OR).
I am a 1st generation biracial Mexican-American woman with proud Indigenous roots to Querétaro MX and am in my journey of reconnecting to my Otomí ancestry. I am invisibly disabled, queer/questioning, a trauma survivor, and am passionate about issues that impact the Latiné diaspora including but not limited to: resisting assimilation and oppression, broadening access to resources, and dismantling borders.
I work as a school social worker in East County (Multnomah) and hold experience organizing within disability and reproductive justice spaces. My values are rooted in abolitionist teachings (no more prisons!), anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and anti-capitalist organizing, and affirming the sovereignty, autonomy, and liberation of all colonized communities. I like to read graphic novels, attend events in Portland's thriving arts community, go to the cinema, and hug my cats.
Board Member
My name is Amanda Boman-Mejía and I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, a very cold place on the tip of Gichi-Gami (Lake Superior). Currently I am an uninvited guest on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, and the Molalla (otherwise known as Portland, OR).
I am a 1st generation biracial Mexican-American woman with proud Indigenous roots to Querétaro MX and am in my journey of reconnecting to my Otomí ancestry. I am invisibly disabled, queer/questioning, a trauma survivor, and am passionate about issues that impact the Latiné diaspora including but not limited to: resisting assimilation and oppression, broadening access to resources, and dismantling borders.
I work as a school social worker in East County (Multnomah) and hold experience organizing within disability and reproductive justice spaces. My values are rooted in abolitionist teachings (no more prisons!), anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and anti-capitalist organizing, and affirming the sovereignty, autonomy, and liberation of all colonized communities. I like to read graphic novels, attend events in Portland's thriving arts community, go to the cinema, and hug my cats.
Andy Garcia
Board Member
My name is Andy Garcia, and I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I identify as Chicano and graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Economics. Currently, I work as a data analyst in the software industry, where I get to combine my analytical skills with my curiosity and passion for problem-solving.
I also identify as queer, and I’m deeply passionate about mental health, queer advocacy, and supporting those impacted by religious trauma. Being a survivor of religious trauma is a significant part of my story, and it has fueled my commitment to helping others with similar experiences and advocating for mental health awareness and resources. Community involvement is incredibly important to me; it drives me to connect, uplift, and create spaces where people feel seen and valued.
Board Member
My name is Andy Garcia, and I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I identify as Chicano and graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Economics. Currently, I work as a data analyst in the software industry, where I get to combine my analytical skills with my curiosity and passion for problem-solving.
I also identify as queer, and I’m deeply passionate about mental health, queer advocacy, and supporting those impacted by religious trauma. Being a survivor of religious trauma is a significant part of my story, and it has fueled my commitment to helping others with similar experiences and advocating for mental health awareness and resources. Community involvement is incredibly important to me; it drives me to connect, uplift, and create spaces where people feel seen and valued.