Mexico 2008
Nayeli Karina de la Torre Garcia
Karina de la Torre Garcia was 28 years old when she was selected as a GOJoven Fellow. Karina holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from La Salle University, Mexico City. She holds certification in Institutional Strengthening and Fundraising, as well as Leadership and Management for Civil Society Organizations, and she was granted a scholarship from the Summit Foundation to pursue her Master’s in Social Marketing. Karina has worked for more than 15 years with non-profit organizations such as Greenpeace Mexico; Save the Children; Flora, Fauna, and Culture of Mexico; and Fondo Semillas, among others. In 2009, Karina was part of the Sierra Club Tour in 6 cities in the U.S., presenting on “Environment and Population, the case in Quintana Roo.” In the area of sexual and reproductive rights, Karina has collaborated with organizations such as APIS Foundation for Equity and Fondo Semillas, where she addressed issues around family violence, gender equity, human rights, and feminism. Karina has volunteered on autonomy and social justice projects in Chiapas and ran a radio program about sexual and reproductive health in Quintana Roo, Mexico. In addition to being a GOJoven Fellow, she was a consultant for PHI on the same project, serving as GOJoven Country Representative in Mexico. In 2015, she served as volunteer at the GOJoven International office in Oakland, California. Currently, she is an independent consultant for fund procurement, corporate social responsibility and fundraising event planning, and she also runs her own online business promoting local products by and for women.
Maria Beatriz Chimal May
Maria Beatriz Chimal May was 25-years old when she selected as a GOJoven Fellow. Her professional experience includes working as a librarian in her native Mayan village of Coba. Beatriz speaks Spanish and Mayan and is committed to improving the lives of the children and youth in Coba. Beatriz wants to help children and youth overcome their fears and speak freely about sexuality, even though it is taboo in her culture. She would like to study law in the future, becoming Coba’s first lawyer and continuing to fight for the rights of her community.
Alberto Lopez Castro
Alberto Lopez Castro was 24 when he was selected for the program. He is an environmental activist living in Playa del Carmen who and is actively involved in local work to protect the mangroves of the Sian Kaan Reserve. Alberto became interested in HIV, STI and adolescent pregnancy prevention while working as a medical assistant and administering pregnancy and HIV tests and counseling. He is interested in becoming a physician and protecting the human rights of youth and families.
Iris Borraz Magdaleno
Iris Borraz Magdaleno, selected at age 23, has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Valladolidad, Yucatán, and holds Diplomas in Sales Management, Marketing, and Neurolinguistic Programming from the Technological University of Monterrey. Her professional experience includes working in eco-tourism in the Mayan Riviera. She worked as Assistant for the University of Valladolid upper management, creating Marketing Plans. Her main areas of expertise are program planning, leadership, financial planning, media, and statistics. These are areas which she has worked in to create studies and projects for electoral candidates and businesses to address issues around youth and women in abusive situations. Iris is passionate about gender equality and works to contribute to the elimination of abuse and exploitation of children.
Fernando Camin Medina
Fernando Camin Medina was selected as a GOJoven Fellow when he was 24-years old. His professional experience includes working as the Deputy Director of Tourism for the Municipal Government of the Solidaridad District, in Playa del Carmen. He implemented district-wide programs with numerous associations and institutions. Fernando hopes to become the Director of the municipal government’s Youth Institute. He has a BA in Systems and Information Engineering and owns an Information Technology business and teaches IT at a local university. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Fernando sees himself as a future political and business leader in Playa del Carmen.
Jacinta Chan Pech
Jacinta Chan Pech was 29 when she was selected to participate in GOJoven. Jacinta is an Industrial Engineer in Business Development and a Mayan leader who is bilingual in Spanish and Maya. She works for the National Comission for the Development of Indigenous Communities (CDI) as the Quintana Roo State Coordinator for the Indigenous Women’s Organization (POMI). She supervises women-led projects and co-facilitates national workshops to train female promoters in Equity and Gender, Culture, SRH, Sustainability, and Rights. Jacinta has participated in the Digital Storytelling Project, recording her digital story, which she uses to educate indigenous health promoters in different regions of Mexico. She has collaborated in various volunteer environmental projects to create a recycling collection center. Jacinta’s short term goal is to direct her own organization that provides workshops to strengthen the capacity of indigenous youth in SSR and link the work of GOJoven alumni to her current organization.
Check out Jacinta’s Digital Story Here: