Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elisa Bender. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elisa, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I grew up in a diverse household. My parents took me to everything that had to do with the Hispanic community and culture.

Elisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As 1st generation Hispanic-American and born of Bolivian-descent, Elisa Bender has not only become accustomed to her Hispanic background but has also, embraced it and continues to celebrate and educate others about Hispanic arts, culture and community.

With over 30 years experience, Elisa Bender has been a devoted artistic dancer and performer of Bolivia, Mexican and Spanish dance. She received a talent scholarship for dance and academic scholarships to University of Missouri-Columbia and Lindenwood University. She was also a member of the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders for five years and was fortunate to attend Superbowl and watch the St. Louis Rams win in 2000. As a Rams Cheerleader, she performed in Japan, Bahamas and Las Vegas. She was also the Artistic Director of the Hispanic Cultural Dancers whom performed at various festivals and events. Elisa Bender teaches Hispanic dance for special events and functions.

In 2005, Elisa Bender was featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in an article titled “Dancer Shares her Hispanic Culture in Community Outreach.”

For over 20 years, Elisa Bender has been an active volunteer in the Hispanic Community. She is a Board Member and Fund Development Coordinator of the Hispanic Festival, Inc., non-profit organization that presents Hispanic Festivals and Hispanic events throughout St. Louis. Her responsibilities include corporate sponsorship, grant writing, artist selection and special projects. Elisa Bender was also the co-founder along with her mother, Haniny Hillberg, of the Diversity Career Network, a corporation that coordinated job fairs for Hispanics and bilinguals. She served as a Citizen Panelist for the Missouri Arts Council who awards grants to art organizations throughout the state of Missouri. Elisa Bender is a founding and Board member of the Latinx Arts Network, a first of its kind, which brings together artists and art advocates to support and encourage Latinx arts in the Greater St. Louis area. Accomplishments include collection of over 100 Hispanic artists in the network, Latinx Film Festival, Hispanic Artist Directory online, website, 1st Latinx artist exhibit in St. Louis, “Building Bridges” Mural and monthly networking meetings. Elisa is also a board member of the St. Louis Visionary Awards.

Presently, Elisa Bender is married to a assistant principal and has 2 children. She has two bachelor degrees from Lindenwood University: Business Administration and Human Service Agency Management. She is a Sales Representative for a large corporation. Most recently, Elisa and her husband became entrepreneurs and created an HOA management company.

Elisa Bender is a breast cancer survivor.

Her hobbies include spending time with her family, watching movies, volunteering and reading books. Her mentor and most influential person in her life is her mother, Haniny Hillberg, who is very active in the Hispanic Community herself. She taught her to remember where you came from, appreciate the Hispanic Culture and other cultures and always strive to be the best person you can be.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was blindsided in 2017 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was my first mammogram. I turned 40 and my doctor advised me to get one. After a few weeks and additional testing, I was told cancer was found. I had no lump nor clue that anything was wrong. After several months of treatment with surgery, chemo and radiation, I came out the other side with a new lease on life and I was going to use it. I wanted to act on the dreams and ideas I had for years. This led me to start the journey with creating the Latinx Arts Network.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Anything, everything and anyone could be a resource. You can find art in anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.latinxartsstl.com
• Other: email: elisa@latinxstl.com