Originally from Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico, Aaron Garcia moved to Durham five years ago. He recently graduated from Riverside High School. A radio producer for WXDU and NPR, Aaron, through the Center for Documentary Studies and YDD, started the first bilingual, youth-produced radio show in North Carolina. An ardent worker for human rights, he has been invited to speak in public reunions and rallies. He holds many awards from various organizations. Not only is he a sex health educator, he has been awarded for his arduous work around HIV/AIDS prevention. Aaron has been in charge of communication with the La Fiesta del Pueblo vendors. Aaron's bilingual talents, patience, love of humankind, and creative nature has made him an integral part of the mary&parrish events team. Aaron has worked at the Youth Booth for the No Fumo program at La Fiesta del Pueblo and is currently a member of the JLA group at ECH in Durham. He is really passionate about his call to work for a better world. Living the Golden Rule of Christianity, Aaron seeks to empower those around him to work strenuously for the improvement of everyone’s lives.

Edna is a public relations and Political Consultant for Edna Campos and Associates. Prior to coming to North Carolina her consulting business was based in Houston, Texas. While in Texas some of her clients included Raul Gonzalez, Texas Supreme Court Justice, Viva Clinton/Gore and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She has served as a consultant for numerous Latino community projects including the Board of Directors for Southwest Voter Registration and Education-Houston Project, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials-Citizenship Empowerment Project, the Hispanic Giving campaign for the Texas Gulf Coast United Way and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Go Tejano Scholarship Committee.

In North Carolina, Edna Campos served as the Asheville Local Coordinator for “Town Meeting for the Future of Media” and Campaign Director for “El Pueblo Votes!”. She also served as a Mission Hospital Folic Ambassador and the organizing committee for the “We are One/Somos Una America” May 1st march. Locally she is the Chair of the Asheville Latin Americans for Advancement Society, on the Board of Mission Hospital and the Community Health Enhancement Committee, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Coalition for Latin American Organizations. She also previously served on the board of Asheville Buncombe County United Way and Western Carolina University Chancellor’s Community Roundtable. She is the recipient off the 2004 Latina Leadership Award, from the National Foundation for Women Legislators and the YWCA Asheville Women of Influence.

Edna is currently completing her degree with a double major in Psychology and Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Edna and her husband, Eldon Thomas, spend their time between their homes in Asheville and Houston. They enjoy their family of Larry and his wife Nancy, their sons Larry III and Andres, their daughter Elaine, and granddaughter Yvonne, and little dog Ceniza.

Originally from Palestine and raised in South Carolina, Nadeen Bir first began coordinating on campus awareness events, volunteer activities, and cultural parties as an undergrad at the College of Charleston for the Spanish Club and Political Science Club. Upon graduation in 2002, she accepted an internship with Student Action with Farmworkers where she planned the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry’s Farmworker Festival in Newton Grove, North Carolina. She also taught English as a Second Language and coordinated the Sister Communities program which built community among farmworkers and church congregations. After her internship, she was an AmeriCorps member at El Pueblo, where she coordinated two North Carolina statewide forums for Latino youth. She then returned to Student Action with Farmworkers for a year long apprenticeship to coordinate the Into the Fields Internship program where she recruited, trained, placed, and supervised nationwide college students working for farmworker justice in the Carolinas. Nadeen now works at El Centro Hispano in Durham, NC as the Jovenes Lideres en Accion- youth leaders in action youth program coordinator, administrative assistant, and ESL teacher. She loves working with volunteers and coordinating events that celebrate culture, the arts, and bring awareness to community members.

Jason Greene is a staff member of the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department and works annually with Apple Chill and Festifall. He also serves on the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission’s “Sculpture Visions” Selection Committee. Born in Lenoir, NC and hitting the Triangle in the year 2000, Jason brings his problem-solving meets tourist industry skills and talents to mary&parrish events on a regular basis.

Curt Robinson Our Fall Intern Curt is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. Graduating from NCSU in 2007, Curt is studying to receive a degree in Arts Applications with a concentration on Visual Arts and also a minor in Art and Design. Her interests include art and crafts, specifically painting, drawing and jewelry making and also traveling. She has the life-long goal to one day put her feet into as many oceans, seas and other bodies of water as possible.

Rachel Zitin- Our UNC-CH Spring '07 Intern. Rachel Zitin is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but she considers Asheville, North Carolina “home”. She is currently a sophomore at UNC, and plans to double major in Public Relations and Spanish. She has a passion for the Spanish language and plans to travel to Argentina for the fall, 2007 semester in the pursuit of becoming fluent. Someday she hopes to travel to as many countries as possible, starting with Latin America and moving around the world from there. Her interests include road trips, traveling, people, and music; all of which she hopes to someday incorporate into a career in the field of Public Relations.