I’m Nikki Alejandra Garcia and I am a proud Venezuelan-American student from Miami, Florida. I am currently studying Sociology and French at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland where I serve on the executive board of the Multicultural Leadership Council, the MOSAIC Media team, and dance for Temps d’Afrique, the African dance team on campus. I am also a writer/poet. I'm delighted to be collaborating with The Creative Process on highlighting artists, education initiatives, and teachers in the Hopkins and Baltimore communities to celebrate the fine arts and the invisible art of teaching.

In my sophomore year of high school, I became an active member of the Quill & Scroll Society at my school. On Tuesdays we met in the school courtyard to workshop our creative writing and on Thursdays we walked across the street to the middle school to lead a creative writing club with some students who expressed interest and/or talent in such an activity. This after school program meant a lot to me for two reasons. First, it made me wish I had had the opportunity to learn about poetry and short stories outside of instructional time when I was in middle school. It made me wonder what it would have been like if my middle school had a literary magazine. The second reason this program meant so much to me is the experience I had as a teacher in this space. Raiders Write, as the creative writing club at the middle school was called, was an opportunity for me to hone my leadership and teaching skills as well as an opportunity to impart creative passion on very unique and intelligent students. I learned so much from their imaginations and their work.

As well as The Creative Process, I am involved with various media projects, including a podcast and video project at  Johns Hopkins University through the Office of Multicultural Affairs where I am a host. I also do outreach into the Hopkins and Baltimore community to find interesting students and community members of color who are willing to share their stories with us.

In the future, I envision myself as a high school English or Spanish teacher at a school where I also serve as a dance coach or dance class instructor in the styles of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, or Jazz. I want to be part of the creative process in everything I do.