Bélgica (she/her) has worked with youth for over 10 years, focused on fostering spaces of joy, belonging, and curiosity. As a young girl Bélgica joined Future Educators of America, recognizing the power of education to transform hearts, minds, and lives, and catalyzing a lifelong commitment to education equity. Prior to Kindred, she was a middle and high school ELA teacher and academic advisor at a gender-responsive, trauma-informed, holistic education center working with young girls made vulnerable by inequitable systems. As a teacher she also served as a TeachSDGs ambassador advocating for more culturally-responsive classrooms and supporting a student body of more globally competent change-makers. One of her most memorable experiences was being a UNA-USA delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2018 and learning from first-hand accounts of the institutionalized racism and sexism that perpetuate gender inequality globally.

Bélgica is an alumnus of USF with a B.A in Humanities, a B.A. in Religious Studies, and an M.A. in Religious Studies. She has served as an adjunct instructor teaching world religions and new religious movements, and was focused on faith- and community- based partnerships for the promotion of human rights in her work. Additionally, she has experience supporting diversity and inclusion through her organizing of interfaith and intercultural student dialogues on campus. Currently she is one of 73 educators selected for the 2020-2021 U.S. Department of State Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program. She is also a doctoral student at American University’s Education Policy and Leadership program focused on race and education equity.  Bélgica identifies as Ecuadorian, and while once lifelong resident of Florida, she is now thrilled to reside in the DMV with her two pups, Odie and Luna.