SPEL Team | Equipo de SPEL
Christine MacDonald
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Christine is an investigative reporter, who has had a long career writing for top-ranked newspapers, such as the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News and Washington Post. As the Executive Director, she leads the organization’s Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL), a weekly story lab that brings together high school and college interns and young adult fellows to produce articles and special research projects published on the Hola Cultura’s website.
Arts & Humanities Team
Crista Fiala
Editorial Fellow
Crista (she/her) is a first-year English doctoral student and writing instructor at the University of Connecticut. Much of her creative and critical work explores space/place, the environment, settler colonialism, and intersecting racial, gender, and sexual identities. Crista grew up in the Northeast and is interested in exploring human relationships with place and the environment through writing and other media. She has most recently contributed stories about local artists in New Hampshire and Vermont to The Dartmouth, the student newspaper of Dartmouth University, where she earned a master’s degree in comparative literature. Crista has also produced English-to-Spanish translations for non-profit organizations around the United States. She is currently learning about running a creative environmental magazine as an intern at Terrain.org. As an audio and video editor, she also assists in the production of “Common Ground: A Prairie Podcast.” Crista looks forward to exploring more media and languages in the future. Before starting graduate school, she was an editorial intern for Hola Cultura during her senior year at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she received a bachelor’s degree in English, Spanish and history. As a fellow, Crista looks forward to helping students explore Latine culture and relevant issues through art- and person-centered storytelling in D.C.
Belckis Barahona
Editorial Intern
Belckis (she/her) is a junior at Jackson-Reed High School in Washington, D.C. Her parents are from Honduras and El Salvador. As part of the SPEL team, she says she’s excited to contribute and expand her artistic skills. Outside of school, she enjoys painting and drawing. Belckis is passionate about her plans to go to college to study cosmetology or art. She hopes to continue growing her skills so she can make a meaningful impact as a professional in the future.
Delaney Banks
Editorial Intern
Delaney (she/her) is a 16-year-old 11th grader at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. who aspires to be a lawyer. She was born on Aug. 30, 2009, in Mobile, Alabama. Delaney is currently working toward finishing high school strong and preparing to study English at Alabama A&M University before moving on to law school. Some of her hobbies include dancing, singing, building computers, crocheting, writing stories and earning money. She has been a victim of gun violence and now wants to advocate against it. Some fun facts about her are that she loves making money to support herself, is very talkative and loves playing with her dog, Little Lady. Delaney loves to binge-watch YouTube videos about how to be a Personal Computer. Delaney’s goals during her internship with Hola Cultura are to gain real-world skills and opportunities to collaborate with others, and to improve at creative writing and editing.
Denali Torres
Editorial Intern
Denali (she/her) was born in Denver, Colo., is 16 years old and goes to Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. She is interested in becoming a social worker or a child psychologist. Her interests include crochet, traditional art, painting and hanging out with friends. When she’s older, she hopes to support teens and children in need in the best way she can while pursuing her hobbies and not letting work affect her personal life.
Jessica Mendez-Perez
Editorial Intern
Jessica (she/they) is a third-year Calvin Coolidge High School student from Washington, D.C. She is currently enrolled in general studies courses at college and is considering pursuing a career in computer science or neurology. Jessica enjoys creating both traditional and digital art. She also likes coding, animation, debate and Legos. In the future, she wants to pursue art on the side while working in one of her areas of interest.
Society & Culture Team
Francisco Rodriguez
Editorial Fellow
Francisco (he/him) is from Silver Spring, Md., and currently resides in Philadelphia. He graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and literature. He is a reporter with Current, where he writes about public media, and is also an editorial assistant at Solitary Watch, where he writes about solitary confinement in the United States. In addition to writing, he enjoys listening to and playing music, drawing, watching TV, and reading. Francisco is passionate about the importance of local arts and is excited to lead this semester’s society and culture team!
Ava Westendorf
Editorial Intern
Ava (she/her) is a third-year student from West Lafayette, Ind., studying English and journalism at Indiana University Bloomington (IU). She wants to pursue a career as an investigative journalist with a primary focus on the environment. She loves writing long-form articles and hearing interesting stories from the people she interviews. At IU, Ava works for the Arnolt Center of Investigative Journalism, is the vice president of their sanction of Reporters without Borders and is the volunteer coordinator for the school’s Animal Club. In her free time, Ava loves to hike, travel and spend time with her dog, Avocado.
Maya Kumar
Editorial Intern
Maya (she/her) is a sophomore at Jackson-Reed High School in Washington, D.C. She was born and raised in the United States, but her parents are both immigrants. Her mother is from the United Kingdom, and her father is from India. She is currently taking various honors and advanced classes, including AP human geography, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and Spanish literature and culture. She enjoys traveling, as it allows her to see the beauty of different countries, explore new cultures and try new foods. There are a few fields that she is interested in, including business, marketing, finance and international studies. She hopes that, in college, she will be able to study abroad in Spain for a semester, as she really enjoys the culture and would love the experience of living in a Spanish-speaking country.
Social Media Team
Jeannetth Camilo
Social Media Fellow
Jeannetth (she/her) is a graphic designer born and raised in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her design approach focuses on community building and creating positive social impact. As a first-generation Mexican American, she is passionate about using design to amplify the voices and stories of her community. Beyond graphic design, she has been actively involved in nonprofit work for more than a year as a development and social media assistant.
Ayanna Kelley-Fraser
Social Media Intern
Ayanna (any pronouns) is a senior digital media and journalism major at the University of Hartford. She got into the art of visual storytelling while learning to edit at the Brooklyn STEAM Center, and has also written 40 articles for Parle Magazine. She is an active member of the University of Hartford’s Student Television Network (STN2), where she has reported on packages, written and edited voiceovers, and experienced multiple crew positions during their live shows, including technical directing, weather reporting and more. She has also been through two social media internships, helping small business owners and online magazines build their socials. As a journalist, Ayanna hopes to give a voice to those who do not have one.
Roberto Rodriguez-Paz
Editorial and Social Media Intern
Roberto (he/him/his) graduated from Lesley University in 2024 with a BFA in digital filmmaking. During his time in university, he engaged with different aspects of filmmaking, including writing, directing, producing, editing and sound recording. Being born in Boston, Mass., to a Guatemalan mother and Salvadoran father and living within Greater Boston, he wants to bring his experiences and cultural background into different projects while also having fun with multiple genres and forms of content, such as narrative, documentary, commercials, etc. He is looking forward to collaborating with individuals who have similar aspirations while working with Hola Cultura and gaining new opportunities and expertise.
Oral History Team
Chabelli Hernandez
Editorial Intern
Chabelli, also known as Latina Bohemian (she/her), is a creative writer, poet and music enthusiast from Greater Boston. Raised in the multicultural Merrimack Valley, her pursuits are informed by diversity and dedicated to amplifying BIPOC voices. This will be Chabelli’s third semester at Hola Cultura as she pursues her studies at the University of Massachusetts. A first-generation student, her goal is to inspire others, especially those with similar backgrounds, to share their unique stories. “When there is inclusion in self-expression, it motivates a diverse pool of people to express themselves.”
Marvin Juarez
Editorial Intern
Marvin (he/him) is in his fifth year at the University of California, Davis. His areas of study are English, cinema, digital media and professional writing, with an emphasis on creative writing. Oakland-raised, first-generation college student with immigrant roots, Marvin aspires to write novels, teach in academia, and uplift underrepresented communities through storytelling.
Melody Marichalar
Editorial Intern
Melody (she/her) is a journalism and creative writing student in her final year at the beautiful Western Washington University. At the core of her practice lies a deep passion for meeting new people and learning about different cultures. She hopes to take this skill of hers around the world and write about people she meets on her travels. Being raised by an immigrant father has given Melody a deep sense of love and appreciation for her Hispanic culture. During her time at Hola Cultura, she hopes to connect with her culture in a new way while inviting readers to immerse themselves. When she’s not writing, you can find Melody expressing herself through fashion, creating art while listening to vinyls and exploring the natural beauty around her.
Copy Editing Team
Kami Waller
Copy Editing Fellow
Kami (they/he) is a Floridian writer, editor and artist based in Japan with a background in web development, digital accessibility, content development and cultural exchange work. They are currently a senior tech associate at Oil Change International and operations manager at fficient, an SEO and UX consulting firm. Kami completed a doctorate in global art practice at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2025, where they researched the impact of external value systems and systems of power on creative output and integrity. Kami is passionate about art, learning and movement and has too many hobbies to keep track of. Moving forward, they hope to establish a multidisciplinary creative practice that prioritizes community and creates opportunities for underrepresented individuals of all ages.
Valerie Izquierdo
Copy Editing Intern
Born and raised in Miami Beach, FL, Valerie (she/her) is a freelance journalist, writer and editor based in Gainesville, FL. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida, Valerie has dedicated her craft to advocating for social justice, the environment, and cultural topics, with a focus on human-interest stories. She has written, edited and translated pieces for the Sierra Club, local sustainability-based magazine Frothy, and additional digital and print publications. Professionally, she aspires toward editorial work, hoping to pursue copy editing in print or digital publishing or newsrooms. Valerie also aims to highlight the stories and voices of underrepresented groups and communities to bring unity and awareness toward crucial topics. Her hobbies include pursuing various forms of art, listening to music and being involved in community work.