We were lucky to catch up with Alexa Seda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, thanks for joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

Ah let’s see, what my parents did right was letting me flee the coop and have experiences that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Growing up in a Latino family- I often felt that my mom didn’t subscribe to traditional norms. Traditional norms as, having to be the one to cook and wait hand and foot for a husband to tell her what to do or telling me I needed to get a job to provide for the family, or marry someone within my “race”.

My mom was a jack of all trades, single mother who selflessly cared for others and never talked bad about a single person. When my friends parents were reluctant to send them on trips out of the country for the sake of their education, my mom without a doubt said “alright go on ahead,bye alessa” with her Puerto Rican accent. She wasn’t restrictive and because of this I have been able to travel to places like London, New Dehli, Mumbia, Instabul, Bogota , and all over the U.S. because she wasn’t willing to project her fears as a parent onto me. Each placed I’ve traveled I’ve gain an understanding of various cultures and gained tools to enhance my career in urban planning, creative arts, and public health. Her not saying anything bad about people enabled me to have an open heart and not grow up with the prejudices that other people in my neighborhood had towards people who were not Latino or are even Latino but of varying complexions.

I essentially grew up in a wordly household with love and determination and those values I carry with me today in my work to transform St. Louis communities through arts-based employment and activating vacant spaces with artisitc performances.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an Urban Planner and Creative Producer whose main focus is on fusing community and art-based development to revitalize neighborhoods. My mission is to advocate for the creation and support of safer, healthier, and vibrant communities in Black & LatinX neighborhoods across St. Louis City while bridging cultural divides.

As Chicago native, I lived in two distinct neighborhoods in the city- one struggling with the first wave of gentrification and the other plagued with environmental hazards. Alexa at a young age found this appalling and did not understand why people that looked like her often resided in marginalized parts of the city. I pursued my degree in Health Science and Community Services at Depaul University in Chicago and moved to St. Louis in 2016 to pursue my master’s education in Public Health and Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis. My goal is to equip and support Black and LatinX residents with the tools to advocate for sustainable designed neighborhoods that address social and environmental injustices.

I advocate for sustainably designed neighborhoods but also for arts to play a major role in that process. I co-founded Encore STL, a production company, that uses digital media and theater as a platform to increase civic engagement and pride in Black & Latinx communities.

Some of the products my company offers are
– Small Business branding and content creation ( commercials, photography)
– performance opportunities, casting and directing opportunities for Black/Latinx artists in theater, music, spoken word
– employment , mentorship, and soft skills training for disadvantaged youth

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met my business partner in a St. Louis City high school classroom when we both got a job at Boys & Girls Club to mentor freshmen. The goal of the program was to assist the local high school with their freshman retention rates by being a positive role model, assisting with class and homework, and being an advocate for our mentees. What was cool about this experience was being able to work with my now business partner in the same classroom where we co-taught 8th period.

We were able to combine our interests and teach our class together in an authentic way that jived. While my business partner brought the theatrics and discipline I brought to the table civic engagement, health, and environmentalism (like cleaning up the trash around the school). Together we had one of the best freshman classes which we still keep in touch with today and have watched their journey from freshmen to now being sophomores and juniors in college.

Or classroom management techniques, lessons, and even at times heartache and frustration led us to want to do more outside of the high school. Our kids needed our support once they left the building thus we partnered to start our Drama Therapy and Youth Stage Crew program in the surrounding neighborhood.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m still struggling with this one. What I am unlearning is thinking I need to give away my services for free or constantly underquote myself or my company’s work.

So what my mom may have not done right unintentionally is say “No thank you, that’s alright” to people who would offer money as a Thank You in exchange for her helping them with something like -using her truck to haul furniture or having my brother or me cut someone’s grass, wash their dishes, etc. So when I “help” someone today via it is through business I feel like “that’s alright, you don’t have to pay me or my team”. Wrooongg shouldn’t be doing that.

In doing so, I find it awkward and difficult to fundraise or ask for money for services my COMPANY provides, and it’s costed some friction with my business partner at times. After all we are the executives and are in charge of the revenue the company brings in to continue our work and enhance what we can provide for our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.encorestl.org
• Instagram: instagram.com/encorestl
• Facebook: instagram.com/EncoreTheaterG
• Youtube: youtube.com/@encorestl

Image Credits
St. Louis Public Radio Effrem Grettenberger