About Natalie

Welcome. Bienvenidos.
I am so glad that you have stopped by. I have tried my hardest to make this website as intuitive as possible, but it’s always a work in progress. Please explore my site to get to know more about me.
During my childhood “it’s not fair” was my catch phrase, or so I am told. Whether I was pointing out the inequities that plague youngest siblings or questioning why some people have more money than others (to which my mom noted that her daughter may be a socialist at the age of 8), I was constantly noting when things were not just and asking why. My summer schools breaks in high school were spent on missions trips and service trips from inner-city Fresno to Europe, so it wasn’t surprising to anyone that I decided to major in Global Development Studies during my undergraduate career at Seattle Pacific University. This is where my love for Liberation Theology, my Nicaraguan roots, and community development flourished. As I finished my BA and found myself craving more education to be the best social change agent I could be, I enrolled at Monterey Institute of International Studies to earn a Masters degree in Public Administration with a focus on community development within comunidades latinas. And that’s where I find myself today: a self-described student of life with a passion for empowerment among women and teenagers and to seek equity through community development.
As for my photography: it is my creative outlet that I wish I had more time for. I love incorporating as much of my photography as possible into my academic and professional career. I believe that a picture can often be the key to completing a story, and I love rich, full stories. I love being able to present a person or a family or a place to the world in a way that is natural and full of emotion; something that I often cannot do with words.
When I am not reading or writing papers for school, I like to find myself travelling, catching up on my photo editing, playing soccer, hiking with my dogs, and simply being in good company. I cannot wait for the day that I can read for fun again, although I will admit that I do like a lot of the reading I have to do for classes. Go ahead, call me nerd. I can take it.
Hometown: Carmel Valley, CA
Currently Reading: All the Way to Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day edited by Robert Ellsberg
Favorite Movies: 101 Dalmatians, Almost Famous, and anything the Coen Brothers or Wes Anderson touch.
Fun Fact: I have been to over 13 countries but never to Canada or Mexico.