I am a first-generation Guatemalan American born to immigrant parents both from Southern Guatemala. Mi Papa left Guatemala when he was 14 and my mother came to the US when she was 18. Both of their families were in search of a better life and opportunities that were not available in Guatemala and hoped to find them in the United States. Mi Papa served in the US Air Force as a way to access a path to citizenship and left after serving for 25+ years as a Mechanical and Electrical Engineer. During his military service, I had the opportunity to travel and live abroad in Germany, Turkey, Portugal, and the American Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas where I experienced a variety of cultures and ways of life.

I went to school at the University of Arizona and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, Shortly after graduating in 2016, I moved to Maine to serve as a Food Security Coordinator in rural Wiscasset, ME through Goodwill Northern New England’s AmeriCorps VISTA program. Following my time as an AmeriCorps volunteer I bounced around nonprofits and the corporate sector and in early 2023 I joined Presente as the administrative coordinator and am now the HR Manager where I support our growing team so they can better serve our community. In my spare time, I love to grow peppers, flowers, and tomatoes in my garden. I love to cook, spend time on the water, camp in the beautiful Maine wilderness, and practice my Spanish with my spouse.

Regardless of where I find myself, I am still proud of my Guatemalan heritage and hope to connect with other Chapins in Maine. Orgulloso de ser Chapin!