I am a proud alumnus of Florida International University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000 and where today I hold a position as courses in Performance Art, Art History I, Art History II, and Exploring Art. In 2003, I received a Masters of Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where my work explored issues of Cubanindad, for example, the contradiction between nostalgia and reality, as well as issues of immigration and exiles. Moreover, probing political and social commentary concerning the Cuban/American experience. For over a decade I taught art and drama courses at an alternative institution for pregnant and teen parents. Along with my tenure in the public-school system and at FIU, I proudly served my community volunteering at the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials - The Education Fund and with other local organizations. Moreover, I worked as a committee member of The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) serving on its Educational Advisory Board for numerous years. In 2010, I traveled to Romania and had the honor to serve at an orphanage where I taught art to children and young adults. Today, I have started my own company called Art and Joy Inc. whose goal is to engage and enrich the lives of “Golden Ages” in our community. I have several local television and radio appearances discussing a variety of subjects from education to politics to food. Also, I have exhibited my own work in several group shows in Miami and the Midwest. However, what I enjoy the most is travel. I have had the chance to visit twenty- six countries, twenty-four American states and have set foot on four out of the seven continents. My favorite world sites include the Atacama Desert in Chile, Tulum Mexico, Chicago, Micanopy Florida and the streets of Pamplona. Currently, my top five places to visit are Papua New Guinea (PNG), Rapa Nui, Hawaii, Iceland and Antarctica. In my spare time, I enjoy music, gardening, cooking, knitting (poorly), Pilates, cuddling my cat Calixto and dog Betsy and spending time with my friends and family especially son Matteo Giuseppe.