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April Pickett
Grant Manager April has been working in the Catholic nonprofit world for the past nine years managing various programs and projects. After directing bilingual capital campaigns and working as a development consultant, April pursued her Master’s of Science in Nonprofit Administration from LSU. Working for an international school for several years, April is no stranger to the Latino community. She is excited to use her experience and talents to help further the mission of Iskali. |
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Marcos Martinez
Mentorship Coordinator marcos@iskali.org Marcos was born and raised in Berwyn, IL. He joined Iskali after living his initiation retreat in March of 2019. He has been an active member of the St. Leonard community since and has served as the community’s coordinator since January of 2020. Marcos recently completed an internship at J.P. Morgan Chase and graduated from Year Up Chicago. This internship provided him with a great opportunity to learn from experienced professionals about project management and the importance of written and verbal communication in order to collaborate effectively. Outside his professional interests, he is passionate about following and playing sports like basketball, soccer, and tennis. |
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Vicente Del Real
Founder & Servant vicente@iskali.org Vicente is the founder of Iskali. He is currently a student at Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative within the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business as part of LBAN. He is an adjunct faculty at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago and other universities. Vicente was recognized as part of 2020’s class of 40 under 40, by name by Negocios Now, a national award-winning Hispanic business publication, that recognizes 40 leaders and entrepreneurs in the Hispanic community under the age of 40 in Chicagoland.He earned Master's Degree in Pastoral Arts from Catholic Theological Union. |
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Dayana Huerta
Digital Presence Intern Dayana Huerta is a college student pursuing a degree in Marketing from Morton College in Cicero, Illinois. Dayana has been involved in Iskali since attending an initiation retreat in 2017. Since then her roles in Iskali have included community coordinator, social media coordinator, and her most recent project directing a faith formation program for young adults interested in learning more about their Catholic faith. She is also part of Iskali's consecrated community. Her years of service, missionary work, and time in school have been crucial in her uncovering her passion for community advocacy, and a source of inspiration to continue to work towards empowering and equipping the next generation of transformative leaders in the church. Dayana is excited to use her passion for social media to create a strong digital presence for Iskali. |
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Pablo A. Cruz
Director of Young Adult Initiative pablo@iskali.org Pablo Cruz is a Business, Social Service and Outreach professional with over 15 years of experience. He is an immigrant from Guatemala who him-self has survived many of the challenges immigrants face in trying to establish themselves in the United States. He is committed to meeting the high standards of an outcome-based program. He is bilingual and bicultural. He has over 8 years in young adult leadership and training of young leaders, with a degree on Young Adult Leadership at Saint Mary of the Lake University. He now has over 8 years of experience as an Executive director and has been very successful in maintaining social service center offering high quality services. He is excited to come to Iskali, to lead the Young Adult initiative in partnership with the McGrath Institute for Church Life, at the University of Notre Dame with funding from the Lilly Endowment. |
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Emily Vargas
San Juan Diego Shop Intern iskali.sjdshop@gmail.com Emily was born and raised in Cicero, Illinois. Her family is from Michoacan, Mexico. She recently lived her initiation retreat in August of 2021, and has been active in Iskali since. Emily currently serves as secretary for her community in Our Lady of the Mount in Cicero, and will be part of the coordination team for Iskali's faith formation program of 2022. She is excited to utilize her passion for serving others to help grow the San Juan Diego shop. Emily is currently a college student at Dominican University pursuing a degree in special education. |