Aiyana Sol Machado
Aiyana Sol Machado Is a multi-talented, multi-cultural visionary dedicated to the liberation & healing of people & communities for over 20 years. She is an organizer, artist, scholar-activist, researcher, mother, partner, sister, daughter, community member, birthworker and lover of life!
Aiyana Sol began as an inner city dance instructor in the East Coast and the Twin Cities, modeling and encouraging the use of the arts for liberation and activism. She studied Social Science at Metropolitan State University while also grant writing, directing, and assessing youth programs.
Aiyana Sol inspires integrity in diversity and positive educational outcomes through evidence based approaches in youth, human and program development.
As a Boricua of Caribbean diaspora heritage and trained dancer/choreographer, Aiyana Sol explores the organic historical convergence of the Indigenous Taino, African and Spanish of Boriken (Puerto Rico). Currently, she is the National Director of Implementation & Operations for E3: Education, Excellence & Equity, founder of Karaya Guey, Co-founder of Kumbé and collective artist member of Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center.
Dr. Casandra Clark Mazariegos, Psy.D,LP
Dr. Clark Mazariegos is a bilingual licensed psychologist dedicated to supporting people from diverse cultural and economic background as they cultivate their own resilience building practices. She has used her experience working with patients to determine how to best facilitate the development of a healthy mind/body. The human psyche is beautifully complicated. It can create for us moments of exhilarating joy and excruciating pain. The key to maximize joy and minimize pain is very different for each individual. It is important to have a wide range of resilience building practices to draw from in order to create individualized self-care plans. Dr. Clark Mazariegos uses talk therapy , yoga, dance, art and mediation to help people learn how to care for themselves and their community. Dr. Clark Mazariegos received her BA from Hampshire College in Multicultural Clinical Psychology and Afro-Caribbean folkloric dance. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology at the Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Puerto Rico. She then specialized in addiction treatment at the Hazelden Betty Ford where she did her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral training. Dr. Clark Mazariegos has since then trained in the Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction, Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Yoga Nidra and folkloric dance therapy.
Vanessa Cintron M.A.
Vanessa Cintron is a Twin Cities-based psychotherapist who believes in the body-mind connection. This understanding provides her with a holistic perspective and helps her create a unique and individualized support plan with her clients. Vanessa holds a B.A. in Psychology from Inter American University and an M.A. in Family Counseling from the University of Phoenix, both in her native Puerto Rico. She also completed a Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate and an Autism Certificate from St. Cloud State University and has extensive training in EMDR and trauma. She is fluent in Spanish, Italian, and English and can provide services in any of those languages.
Vanessa has more than 12 years of experience working with children and families. She has served in a wide range of capacities like case management, day treatment, in-home, outpatient, mental health crisis stabilization, and school-based therapy. Creating a safe and culturally sensitive space where families can develop, strengthen, and thrive is part of her practice. She is committed to educating communities and providers about the impact of trauma on mental health and cultural awareness.
Currently, Vanessa works in her private practice, Guerreras de Luz, LLC. She is also the co-creator of Healing Movement Mental Health, a movement/fitness curriculum integrating the Afro-Caribbean movement and music to promote wellness and healing. Also, she is a founding member and head of the Humanitarian Committee of the Coalición de Boricuas en Minnesota, an organization dedicated to the relief and resettlement of Puerto Ricans victims of Hurricane María.