My interest in bridging disciplines across the humanities led me to found La Poderosa Media Project, an organization that fosters youth empowerment, cultural empathy and collaborative learning through visual arts programs in the Americas.
As the Founder and Executive Director of this initiative, I have developed an academic curriculum through which secondary and college students engage their creativity and desire to transform communities through cinematic storytelling.
As of today, I have overseen the completion of fifteen projects in Panama, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Chile, and Ecuador. As a result of these interventions, my team and I have produced twenty short films and taught approximately 1,800 hours to more than 400 students.
This innovative initiative in the fields of international experiential learning and community engagement has received recognition from the Center for Work and Service at Wellesley College, the Ecuadorian Secretary of Culture, the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, the Volunteer and Service Learning Center at The University of Texas, the Ecuadorian National Film Council, Cine Las Americas Film Festival, Mostra Geração, and The Huffington Post.
MARÍA ALEJANDRA ZAMBRANO, Ph.D. 