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.
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.
Mauricio Real
CO-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.
CO-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.
Susana Meisenhelder
CHAIR
I have a natural passion for giving back to my local community, which has been part of my life for over 25 years. My first volunteer experience was at the age of 15, when I assisted a group of students to collect blankets and jackets for Sacred Heart Community Church in San Jose, CA in 1993. The head coordinator at the church invited me to be an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients receiving cancer treatment. From that point, I volunteered at local shelters, food pantries and started to fundraise.
In 1998, I graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA.
In 2010, I joined Analog Devices as an HR Program Manager. It was at Analog where my personal passion started to make an impact on a larger and corporate scale. I helped grow our Corporate Social Responsibility program and eventually established relationships domestically and internationally with organizations such as Alzheimer’s Association, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others.
In 2019, I joined the board for Educate Ya, where I learned that overall health & wellness is equally as important as financial or food assistance. The well-being of our local community is the heart of this organization. I feel privileged to have broadened my knowledge and participate in our COVID-19 Vaccination events in 2021-2022. Above all, giving back and making a difference continues to be part of my commitment to my neighbors.
CHAIR
I have a natural passion for giving back to my local community, which has been part of my life for over 25 years. My first volunteer experience was at the age of 15, when I assisted a group of students to collect blankets and jackets for Sacred Heart Community Church in San Jose, CA in 1993. The head coordinator at the church invited me to be an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients receiving cancer treatment. From that point, I volunteered at local shelters, food pantries and started to fundraise.
In 1998, I graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA.
In 2010, I joined Analog Devices as an HR Program Manager. It was at Analog where my personal passion started to make an impact on a larger and corporate scale. I helped grow our Corporate Social Responsibility program and eventually established relationships domestically and internationally with organizations such as Alzheimer’s Association, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others.
In 2019, I joined the board for Educate Ya, where I learned that overall health & wellness is equally as important as financial or food assistance. The well-being of our local community is the heart of this organization. I feel privileged to have broadened my knowledge and participate in our COVID-19 Vaccination events in 2021-2022. Above all, giving back and making a difference continues to be part of my commitment to my neighbors.
Melissa reyes
Board Member
My Name is Melissa Reyes. I am a New York born Puerto Rican. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. At a young age I learned that success can be achieved through education and hard work.
Growing up I had wonderful opportunities to acquire a higher education than most from my native community. I lived in New York, Maryland, Florida and California before moving to Portland One year ago.
My decision to move to Portland is genuinely a love of the city. Although I came to know this city in a time that many call, "Not the same as it was", I see the hope and love its citizens have for it and I share the same hope and dream to see it flourish once again.
My dedication to this city and its communities are my focus and motivation for working towards a better future.
- Juntos, Si Se Puede!
Board Member
My Name is Melissa Reyes. I am a New York born Puerto Rican. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. At a young age I learned that success can be achieved through education and hard work.
Growing up I had wonderful opportunities to acquire a higher education than most from my native community. I lived in New York, Maryland, Florida and California before moving to Portland One year ago.
My decision to move to Portland is genuinely a love of the city. Although I came to know this city in a time that many call, "Not the same as it was", I see the hope and love its citizens have for it and I share the same hope and dream to see it flourish once again.
My dedication to this city and its communities are my focus and motivation for working towards a better future.
- Juntos, Si Se Puede!
Dixon Bourne
Board Member
Dixon Bourne, surfista y panadero, ha estado viviendo en Portland durante un puñado de años, trabajando como auditor. Finalmente, él se fugó de la contabilidad y está explorando su pasión por las culturas e idiomas. Su meta es convertirse en un maestro de inglés en un país latinamericano antes de regresar a la universidad. Él está emocionado de unirse a Educate Ya y la gran comunidad latina aquí en Portland.
Dixon Bourne, surfer and baker, has lived in Portland for a handful of years working as an auditor. At long last he has escaped accounting and is now exploring his passion for cultures and languages. His goal is to become an English teacher in South America before returning to grad school. He is excited to join Educate Ya and the great latin community here in Portland.
Board Member
Dixon Bourne, surfista y panadero, ha estado viviendo en Portland durante un puñado de años, trabajando como auditor. Finalmente, él se fugó de la contabilidad y está explorando su pasión por las culturas e idiomas. Su meta es convertirse en un maestro de inglés en un país latinamericano antes de regresar a la universidad. Él está emocionado de unirse a Educate Ya y la gran comunidad latina aquí en Portland.
Dixon Bourne, surfer and baker, has lived in Portland for a handful of years working as an auditor. At long last he has escaped accounting and is now exploring his passion for cultures and languages. His goal is to become an English teacher in South America before returning to grad school. He is excited to join Educate Ya and the great latin community here in Portland.
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.
Héctor Adriazola Pereira
Board Member
I was born in Rancagua and raised in Valparaíso, Chile. Graduated from Business and Administration in 2013, and immediately started working for a ERP Consulting firm in Santiago de Chile.
In 2015, I changed the course of my life a little bit and undertook a journey that led me to be based in Southeast Asia for 4 years while working for a yoga school, and allowed me to travel around different countries while experiencing their cultures.
I believe that transparent communication and the practice of empathy are fundamentals when it comes to connecting with people and developing projects in ways that can benefit the communities. I arrived this last time in the U.S. in May 2023, joined the board of directors of Educate Ya on July 2023, and I am happy to help with everything I can.
Board Member
I was born in Rancagua and raised in Valparaíso, Chile. Graduated from Business and Administration in 2013, and immediately started working for a ERP Consulting firm in Santiago de Chile.
In 2015, I changed the course of my life a little bit and undertook a journey that led me to be based in Southeast Asia for 4 years while working for a yoga school, and allowed me to travel around different countries while experiencing their cultures.
I believe that transparent communication and the practice of empathy are fundamentals when it comes to connecting with people and developing projects in ways that can benefit the communities. I arrived this last time in the U.S. in May 2023, joined the board of directors of Educate Ya on July 2023, and I am happy to help with everything I can.