We recently connected with Christina Collazo and have shared our conversation below.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was raised in Donna, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. I grew up in poverty and in a very precarious home situation. The adverse childhood experiences we lived were incredibly difficult. It has been through my work and my own development as an adult that I can reflect now and see that the generational traumas created barriers for our family and that they had to be addressed and healed as much as possible through my own parenting.

I moved to Austin in 1998. After graduating from St. Edward’s University, I started working for a federally funded project through the Housing Authority. This was my first taste of inflexible corporate structures. It was because of this experience that I promised myself that if ever given the chance to have my own business, I would create a workplace that valued the person and prioritized a family-friendly approach, valuing and honoring working parents, especially working mothers. Creating a compassionate, family-first non-profit is one of my proudest accomplishments through this work.

My lived experiences have also been a valuable resource, informing a lot of the work that I do today.

The mission of Todos Juntos (All Together) Learning Center is to support the academic and social well-being of immigrant and refugee families through education, empowerment, and community support.

We are a dual-generation community of learning, wellness, and social connection for immigrant and refugee parents and their preschool children. We offer skills, experience, and connections to thrive in Central Texas. Our core programs are adult English language learning, early childhood development and literacy, training parents to be their child’s best advocate and teacher, and family physical and mental health. Our wrap-around approach includes case management, on-site psychotherapy, and basic needs assistance.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Professionally speaking, there have been many obstacles, but each one has taught me something and prepared me for the next challenge. In 2012, we had our name and organizational identity stolen; in 2013 we were displaced and on the brink of closing permanently but found a new home on literally the final day of our search. We’ve lived through our building flooding, break-ins, and now a pandemic and a winter storm. But our network of support, as it always does, rallied around and helped us get past these hurdles and return from them stronger and with more fortitude.

Building credibility and trust has been one of the most important parts of building our organization. As a Latina, without a network, without name familiarity, or even a national brand affiliation, this was an uphill challenge. There were times in the last 14 years when I endured comments, or actions that were incredibly offensive and discouraging, perpetuating classism and unconscious biases.

It took building social capital and aligning with allies that were deemed credible in order to build my own credibility and therefore the organization’s. Maintaining that trust and credibility has been of utmost importance to me since opening in 2009. I value every single relationship, as it has helped steady me as a leader and has helped me guide our organization in its evolution. Every relationship is respected as a collaborative partnership. Not only is this the guiding principal in how we work with funders and partners, but also in our interactions with our staff and students, and with other organizations because juntos (together) we can do so much more.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest changes I have embraced more in recent years is investing in our organization and ourselves.

Growing up in poverty, and running a very lean organization for many years, indulged in a mindset that made me stay within a comfort zone. This prevented me from investing in myself as a leader, and investing in the growth of our organization, specifically when it came to building capacity. Besides limiting growth, it also developed a poor habit in some of my team members who adopted this mentality as well. We prioritized the work and stakeholders above ourselves, which was not sustainable or healthy. To invest in ourselves, to put on our oxygen masks, first, meant to better serve those who came to us for support.

Today, I face growth and investing with less discomfort than ever before because it is an investment in the future of our beloved escuelita and the community we serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://todosjuntoslc.org
• Instagram: @todosjuntoslc
• Facebook: @TodosJuntosLearningCenter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chhristinacollazo/
• Twitter: @TodosJuntosLC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHiyJpaRvEI8IMQpvB9P0xQ

Image Credits
Photos taken by Todos Juntos Learning Center staff and Vaughn Luciano Photography.