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During this first episode of Why Change?, you’ll meet one of our co-hosts, Karla Estela Rivera. Karla is a writer, performer, activist, and arts advocate who uses storytelling to uplift folks in underserved communities in Chicago.


In this episode, you will learn:



  1. The ways storytelling have connected Karla to her communities in Puerto Rico and Chicago;


  2. The creative impacts Karla has made within her community to help combat COVID-19; and


  3. How Karla keeps her focus from the shiny things in life.



Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:



ABOUT KARLA ESTELA RIVERA


Karla Estela Rivera is a writer, performer, activist, and arts advocate that has leveraged her gift of storytelling to uplift and create opportunities for, with, and in underserved communities. She is the Executive Director of the historic Free Street Theater and a company member of 2nd Story in Chicago. In addition to her artistic work, Karla has served in non-profit organizations for over a decade, beginning as a teaching artist and youth worker, to systems-level leadership in public affairs. Most recently she served as the co-chair of the Illinois Fine Arts Indicator work group which developed the nation’s first weighted accountability measure for the arts as part of the Illinois Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. Karla continues to perform in venues and zoom rooms across the country, and actively teaches storytelling and consults on advocacy initiatives. She is a native of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and holds a BA from Columbia College Chicago’s Department of Film & Video, with graduate studies at New York University.


You can find Karla Rivera on Instagram and Twitter @kestelarivera and on Linkedin @karlaerivera.


This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit its webpage and follow us on social media at @Campaign4GenC.