05: Be A Role Model Through Theatre: MARCELA RODRIGUEZ-GONZALEZ

Next thing with Jing is made possible through generous funding from Accelerate, TechnoVation, Cleveland Leadership Center, Citizens Bank, Citizens Make Change, and the Cleveland Foundation. Hola, Kumusta! Hello, hello, I'm Jingle Wanko. Welcome to Next Thing with Jing, a podcast where we spark your next chapter and new adventure starting now. I'm your host Jingle Wanko, brand strategist, chief optimist, Filipino founder of Other Brown Girl, the original OBG. Subscribe to Next Thing with Jing on your favorite podcast player to get notified of the latest episodes as they launch. So delighted you're here. Welcome to the show. Let's go! As director of Community Development at Cleveland Playhouse with a passion for education, Marcella Rodriguez Gonzalez has the honor of advocating for historically marginalized community members by evaluating strategic partnerships and programs engineered to remove barriers for participation. Marcella joined Cleveland Playhouse in 2017 as the education apprentice. She earned her master's degree in theater at the University of Central Missouri and was the recipient of the president's diversity scholarship. Marcella discovered her passion for developing communities who art in education at a young age and has focused her research on applied theater and theater for change. She created the project on her voices, giving a voice to female minorities in the U.S., which she directed as a performance. Through Cleveland Playhouse, Marcella creates educational programs focused on culturally relevant youth empowerment while celebrating and recognizing the diversity of the Cleveland community and creating after school empowerment groups for middle school girls through programs such as Girls Who Code. Marcella, Marcella, welcome, welcome to Next Thing with Jing. I am so excited to have you here to share your story with the listeners. Thank you so much for coming in. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be talking to you this morning. Oh Marcella, thank you and I know we've done a pre-interview. I was trying to share all of our good stories and good energy for this episode. So I definitely would like listeners to kind of get relaxed and settle in because Marcella is a dynamite dynamo and I think you're going to be as inspired by her story as I am. Can you share a little bit about how we met? Sure. So back in the fall 2021, you know, I recently got promoted to the director of community development and my boss told me, you know, there's this opportunity I would love you to attend this part conference, great to great. So I'm like sure, you know, I love learning, I love getting new resources, everything is useful, right? Yes. So in this conference, you attended sessions, of course, but you also have a little space where people can share resources and future conferences, all that. So I was scrolling through those. I saw the link to other brown girl and I'm like, what? It looks, it looks great. So I just clicked on it and then I saw your blog, your stories, the pictures that like caught my attention so much and I was like, well, I'm a brown girl. So this looks so cool. How can I be there one day? Oh, and here you are. Here you are, Marcella. Thank you that just means so much to me and I just want to say to I am delighted that you are sharing your story with me because that's exactly what my hope was for other brown girl is to talk about me, but I really want to talk about other brown girl leaders, social change agents that are doing amazing things in the Clia beyond. And Marcella is talking about grit to great. It was a spark conference around innovation and creativity. And this was through the wonderful accelerate program. I had done an update and I was working with Rachel Chamcha, also Michael Bennett of External Affairs at Cleveland Leadership Center. And again, this is what accelerate the spark and this is how we were connected. So I can't wait to dive in and just share about your name, your background, which is fascinating. How you ended up in the Clia. We are so lucky to have you, Marcella. Thank you so much. I'm so excited. I love this opportunity to share what I do and hopefully inspire other brown girls. Yes. And like me, you have already inspired me, which is right away. I said, can you please come? So tell us about your story, your background and how you landed in the land. Sure. So my name is Marcella. I was born and raised in Mexico City. I have a lovely family. I am the youngest of three sisters. My dad always took us to the theater, always had us going to concerts, to museums. So I was exposed to art since I was very little. Then as I was growing up, I wanted to use the arts to educate and to help others because I realized, you know, I was kind of born and raised in a bubble. So I realized that not many children and youth had the opportunities that I had. Yes. So in college, I used to do communication and digital media. I was to be a video editor. Oh, is that right? I didn't know that Marcella. Okay. You're multi-talented, clearly, multifaceted, multicultural, multi-talented. We'll have to have you back on to talk about that too because I know you've worked with girls who code and digital storytelling. I know you do a lot of different kinds of expression and theater. And I would love to hear more about this. Yeah. Thank you. So let's see, I was in college. I also was on the side always doing theater in sound capacity. We had a company in our college. So I was doing music, assistant director, director, you know, a little bit of everything. I cannot stay still. So I need to be doing something. Yeah. So when I graduated college, I wanted to do more with the arts, but they was like, okay, my dad paid for my college. I am a video editor, so I have to be the best I can with this. Right? Yeah. And I just add really quick. So I just for the listeners out there, Marcella is clearly very talented and could have become anything she wanted. So I know we chatted about this. Your father's an engineer. My father was a doctor. And so at least for me, and being an immigrant daughter, he wanted me to follow in medical footsteps of my grandfather of, of, you know, my dad. And so how was that knowing in your heart, you're a creative spirit and you're coming culturally from a place of different kinds of expectations? I was just curious how you were able to continue to listen to that voice inside of you as a young other brown girl to say, this is what I want to do. And I want to leave, leave my homeland to try this in America. I'm really curious about that. It was tough. I'm not gonna lie. It was tough. My dad came from a really, really poor family. So for him going to college and get his engineering degree was a whole new life. So then my sisters, you know, I mentioned I'm the youngest. My, all the sister, she's all business and international negotiations. Then my, my middle sister is a psychologist. And I just wanted to do arts. Yeah. And also like I have an engineer dad and then my sisters are in the profit businesses and all these. And I just wanted to be an artist. So I always felt like I was clashing with my own family. So you know what I said, okay, I'm old enough. I finished college. I've been saving a little bit of money. I want to go to another country to study theater because that's my passion. Yeah. So then my dad said, well, I paid for your college. That's it. I cannot do more. I'm sorry. So I started looking for scholarships and scholarships and scholarships. And I was blessed to win this full tuition scholarship with the University of Central Missouri. Yes. I grabbed two suitcases. Oh my gosh. And in a summer, I just left Mexico. Wow. Oh my gosh. Okay. Let's just pause for one moment. That is so powerful and so inspiring. I mean, I always think about my parents moving from Manila to the United States and leaving behind their family, their culture for hopes of a better life. And so just brave, powerful. I love that you bet on your own potential, your creative potential. Marcella and I hope when little girls hear this and see you on stage, they recognize all the choices and all the hard work that went into you believing in yourself and believing in your dream and really listening to that voice. So that is so fantastic. And everyone that was a full-ride scholarship. I came to the pre interview with Marcella. She is on fire. I saw her notebook. I'm very prepared. And the impact that she is having in the plea, we are very lucky to have Marcella with us. And so here on the on the pod and also in our city. So can you talk to me a little bit more about Mexico City and obviously you and I talked about the times where we live. And I was very moved by so many of your stories about helping young girls. Specifically, we talked about you being very present in after school programs during the hurricanes and what that meant to you and what that was like for you. Being in community development here in Cleveland. Can you talk a little bit about that? Yeah. So you know, as I mentioned in Mexico life is so crazy. Everybody's focused on their own. I didn't have a mentor growing up. And again, clashing with my family, wanting to be an outpost. is not going how to start or to go. And I want to be that person I didn't have growing up. So that's why I'm so blessed that I have this job where I can reach so many lives, children lives, kids that probably don't have that membership. And they need programs, they need people that look like them, that speak like them, that went through the same things they are going, so they can relate to them, they can grow. The after school programs when I was first hired by CPH, I was creating programs for the kids, in their garden through 8th grade, they were in English. But back then I remember from one day to another, everything changed because here in Can Maria came and suddenly we had 45 Hispanic families from Puerto Rico. Wow, oh my goodness. So they didn't know the language, they didn't understand the weather, they didn't understand what was going on. So we had a great opportunity to create a bilingual program for them. So you know, it's just, I'm sure you have experiences, but when you meet someone that they don't speak English, but then you speak in them some language, their whole face slides up. And that's all they needed. They needed someone that could listen to their stories that they could relate to, they could talk to. And that's how then we moved to creating bilingual programs for them. It was a challenge, you know, because all our teachers back then were English speakers. So I was like, you know what, use me however you want. So I learned how to play ukulele. So I could teach my kids in Spanish, whatever their English teacher was teaching them. We also taught them English through theater. We had a class for parents to learn how to communicate through theater again, you know. So if they had to go to the doctor or to the grocery store. So just adapting to be able to serve these people that needed it the most. Oh my gosh. So beautiful. My eyes, they're tearing up, especially right now, hearing the stories that we're hearing as immigrant families. So powerful to see the difference. One change maker can make Marcella. I mean, I just, you take my breath away when we talk about this. And I know I share this with you. I have a friend who is a doctor who's Mexican. And by the way, I wanted to be, I wanted to have Marcella here. And we are, we are friends when I saw that she had mechs. I can in her in one of her bio. So that's the fire and vibe that I want you to feel. But we were just talking about a highway to a friend who was from Mexico. And he was a doctor and he was saying how difficult it was for him to continue to serve some patients during the opioid crisis a few years back when he was hearing these mixed messages about his heritage and his family. And so I'm so delighted that we can bring your story. And you're, you're sparked to life and to really share what you're doing every day. I know you're changing lives. You certainly have changed mine by sharing that. I mean, I think it's hard for people to really understand to me the work ethic and the sacrifices that are made. And this the fact that these young girls can see you. I would think I would, I totally would have looked up to you as like a big sister or something. I just know it. And also to what a wonderful touchstone for the parents to feel welcomed here in the clea by someone who is talented, brilliant and really an example for their children. So thank you for sharing that Marcella. So getting back to this, can you tell me what would you tell your younger self? You know, what would you say to your younger self? To be patient. To be patient. And to know that things are calming, you just have to work for them and believe in yourself. I know it sounds super cliché, but if you believe in yourself, like, you don't have a limit. I believe you. No, I believe you. I believe you. And I will also say to I, we were chatting again a little bit. And can you speak to because we both share this. Tell me about Wonder Woman and seeing someone who inspired you as a young girl and how you how you incorporate that in your work today. Yeah, of course. So Wonder Woman, you don't have a lot of brown characters. Right. That you can relate to, right? In the TV, in the comics. So I remember seeing Wonder Woman and she had long black hair like me. So I was like, oh, I could look like her. You know? And then my parents, I'm always like on fire, always doing something, always making things possible, since I was on TV. I love it. Always inventing things. So my parents start calling me Wonder Woman. So I would just believe it. I wonder woman and Wonder Woman. So in Mexico, you don't have the cool costumes that you have in the US. So I never really got to dress up like her until like 2018, 2019, I was finally able to afford a super cool Wonder Woman costume. I love it. Oh my gosh. It was around the time that Gal Gadot became Wonder Woman. So I was like, yeah, she's brown. She, you know, she kind of speaks like me. So, and she's loving it. Yeah, she's loving it. We talked about this also having an accent like for me hearing an accent is very comforting. So I know we chatted about that. But yeah, so, so how old were you when you first recognize that about Wonder Woman and yourself? I was old. I was old. I was like 23, 24 probably. So that's, I love it. No, but I love that you remember a young as a young girl. How old were you when you first saw Wonder Woman? When your parents are telling you or asking you, you know, sharing Wonder Woman as a as a role model for you. How old were you then? I was probably like 10. Yes. But you know what? Like being an adult now and seeing someone as Gal Gadot, yes. Yes. And powerful and smart. I have been having trouble with myself for a long time recognizing my accent and accepting that accent. You know, when moving to the US, I don't know if this happened to you, but I was trying to erase part of me to fit in this culture. Yes. Yeah. How can I remove my accent? How can I look more American? How can I do this? How can I do that? So that's why the patient is so important. That's right. You see other people being successful and being themselves. And you're like, wow, I can do that. That's right. I've changed that. Oh my gosh. And celebrate it. Celebrate it. I mean, I, I, I will say and I know we talked about this too. I lived in London. And I remember the company that I, they, they are the yow's and they had three daughters who are, who are Asian Chinese. And I remember looking at them and they had British accents. And I'm Filipino in America with an American accent. And I know I felt like we're all characters. It really is just just, there's so many ways that we can think about using our voice and and what that means. But I'm drawn to you, Marcella, for your accent and your story. I, to me, that's a safe space to ask about your heritage and what your dreams are and how are you here? And I recognize the work ethic and fire in you. And I, I hope other listeners do as well. So it just, it's so funny, the common alities. You're from Mexico. I'm from Manila. And I, I was also looking at Linda Carter in her invisible plane with her golden lasso and cuffs and feeling like there's someone that sees me or I could picture myself in that. So I think the strength of like you said, go the dough and, and what's happening right now. I have sweet little cousins on the west coast who are dressing up as Wonder Woman. And I, is this whole new generation of boldness, power, strength. It's a modern femininity and, and I just, I can see that in you and I'm super grateful that you are in Cleveland. And I can't wait for you to share more about what you do at Cleveland Playhouse. So, you share with me really quick. What, what makes you most excited about your work right now at Cleveland Playhouse? I think it's that I can reach so many people. Yeah. And I love being canceled, you know, you will rarely see me sitting at my desk all day. I cannot do that. I like to go into the neighborhoods. I like to meet people, you know, yes. It's just about talking to them. How are you doing? Right. And then they just open up shared their stories. And that's how I can be an agent of change. Yes. Yes. Connecting them to resources, talking to them about what can I do for them? What can we do as an organization to make sure their basic needs are met? I love that part. Yes. You were so kind to reach out to me on LinkedIn, just to introduce yourself. And I funded right away. And congratulations on your tone, Mondo appearance. And I feel like we're just getting to know you and seeing the, the things that you're going to create here in the CLE. And so I, I would love to hear a little bit more about what you see as your next adventure, the things that you really hope to create five years from. I know we talked about this and it got me excited when you started to share your vision for future programming and ways that you're going to impact our region. Yeah. So I see myself doing this type of work. I'm passionate about it. Again, I'm just passionate about serving people, serving others. And if I can do it through the arts, that's a plus. It's like a dream coming true. Now for the pass. A couple of years, I've been doing after school programs for children and youth, creating programs for the families. Now in this new role, I'm trying to expand our school programs into the community. So my goal is once that I am able to provide what my families need to succeed, I can invite them to engage with the arts. So I'm just gonna share a little project I'm cooking here right now. - Oh, I'm glad you're gonna share this. - Yeah, so I am partnering with Arthur Raquel Ortiz. She writes books for children. So we are going to adapt her latest book, Broken Border Flywings, into a play. So this is going to be combined with the stories of my kids and the transitions since they arrived to Cleveland after the Hurricane Maria and how have they been growing up in the US. So this play will explore how it is to leave everything you know, move to a different country where you don't speak the language, where you don't understand what's going on, and still have your border fly wings and learn how to fly. So I will keep you updated, but I'm super thrilled because this is going to be the first play, Cleveland Playhouse produces in Spanish. - Wow, Marcella, oh my gosh. - Okay, so happy that you were comfortable sharing this because everyone definitely wants to get involved, volunteer, check it out, support these incredible, this incredible team. And I was so excited when you shared this with me, and can you tell me this was through the Cleveland Foundation, correct? I mean, you actually wrote the grant. And so it is, it's a really big deal, and it's going to, I hope, continue year after year and get bigger and brighter as you continue to share your story and the story of others. But I will also say, Raquel is, she is a literary Cleveland board member. And so we were chatting, again, getting ready for the speeding and you very quietly and modestly share this and I'm like, what, oh my gosh, that's fantastic. Look, can we talk about this? When can we talk about this? So can you talk a little bit about timing? Is that in, what can listeners expect? - Yeah, so right now I'm in the process of selecting a playwright. I want to select a voice that will firmly represent the stories of my kids, but also to keep the fidelity of the book. So then the goal and what's most important about this project is that it is for the community made by the community. So in this type of performance, you will not see professional actors, you will not see professional set designers. So I want to create this as an educational experience for the kids in the Clark Fulton neighborhood. - Yes, yes. - So they will become the actors of this play. They will be the people that create the sets, the costumes, the props. And then we are going to create community events where the kids can present their project to the community. So everyone will be invited. So merging with my position as a community development director, I also want to have resources for the families that they can benefit from. - Yes, yes. So it's just going to be like a big block party with a play, you know? - Okay, that hits the own head. And it's going to be phenomenal. I mean, anything I've seen Marcelo do and touch, it's going to be phenomenal. I am a feeling we're going to have really good food and really good music and invite you to come back. And then we talked about this when you're ready to promote it and share all the things because I would love to meet these other brown girl and boy storytellers, the seeds that you're planning right now, Marcella, I just, it's so magical. It's going to be fantastic. I love it, love it, love it. And I love the way you're creating digital storytelling for the next generation right now and that you are someone that they can look up to, you know? I certainly didn't have that growing up either. It was very hard to relate to anyone in the media and really ask questions even seeing what a creative career could look like or what it can do with your ideas and stories. And so just the fact that you're trying all the things and being experimental and moving fast and trying it is again, I think such a great example for all of us to see you as an inspiration. So tell me about your name really quick or do you have any nicknames or you have a wonder woman, right? They used to call you that, but Marcella is such a beautiful name. - So it's funny because growing up, I hated my name. - Oh, you did? Oh my gosh. - Yeah, you know, I sell like my cousins, they were named like sweeter names. - Yeah. - And I almost heard Marcella and he was like, "Ah, I don't know, like, is my mom angry at me?" You know, Marcella, Vinaka Marcella, Marcella Marcella. And I remember looking up and he was like related to the God of War and Mars and I'm like, "What? I'm fire." (laughing) And I was always trying like, "Okay, how can I make my name sounds like nicer and cute?" - Oh, I'm sorry. - So back in Mexico, everybody calls me Marce. - Marce, okay. - In my friends and me, sorry, my teachers call me Marce. - Okay. - But like, moving to Cleveland, I'm like, I'm just gonna embrace it. - Yes. - Marcella, Marcella Rodriguez González, that's who I am. - Yeah. - It sounds strong, but I guess I am a little bit strong. So I'm just gonna be okay with it. - I love it. No, I think it's beautiful. And that was a question that I had. And again, one of the things that we talk about in next thing with Jing is this idea of next chapters, new adventures, old labels, let's say, your old selves, your past selves, and how that melds into who we are today, and how that forms us and shapes us. So thank you for sharing. You know, your background, and I think you're a spot on. We've been texting back and forth. Everything is an emoji of fire. And yeah. So this is a good thing. You really do more than one thing, Marcella. You do so many different things. What do you wanna be known for? - I guess it's five. I don't know, like someone you can count on. I know he's not like super ambitious, like, oh, I want to be a CEO or executive director. You know, it's just, I want people to think of my name and be like, oh yeah, she's here for me. She, oh gosh, yes. She's a friend. She's someone you can count on. - Yes, yes. Well, that's very clear. Check that box. That box is checked. I know that that is something that I feel and experience just in the time that we've had, getting to know each other and producing this together. Can you tell me also, who did you look up to? I mean, what is it? What is your experience? Did you have a role model, your theater teacher? Was there someone in your life that helped you see yourself and the spark that you had for creativity and being brave? - I would have to say my dad, it was tough growing up with him because they always wanted perfection. Even my mom, you know, she's like, your only job is to be good at the school, that's it. And something I'm gonna be always thankful for my dad is that he taught my sisters and I how to be independent, women, just to be women, you know, believing that we could do whatever we wanted, except being an artist. (laughs) I'm kidding. Now, but if we were going to do something, we had to do it well. - Yes. - And I remember my dad is an entrepreneur as well, besides being an engineer and growing up, I was like probably 16 and his company went bankrupt. - Oh gosh. - And it was really tough for us to see what was going on. I was younger, but then my dad just stood up and built another company and just kept going. - Wow. - Resilient, resilient, that really, that says a lot, that says a lot. - Yeah, and then when I moved here to the US, I always thought like I cannot go back without being successful. So of course, there were times that I was lonely. My first year of my master's was pretty lonely. I didn't have any other students I could relate to. I was actually the only international student in my department in the theater department. - Oh my goodness. - My teachers were all white, lovely people. But you don't see like other brown people, like me, especially like in Missouri. I had the great mentors there, Dr. Julie Mollencamp, Dr. Richard Hermann, Michael Benson. Those three professors were always like pushing me, like don't give up, you can do this. Theater for change, go for it, you can do it, you can do it, be done. So yeah, that's that I will always be thankful for everything that they did for me and supported me as I was doing those two years alone without my family, without friends, without no one. - Wow, that's remarkable. I mean, that is just so powerful, especially in the moment that we're in, we've talked about this, right? So being in the Midwest, being a minority, being someone who has a different kind of story to tell that hasn't been really shared in media, I just love that you're using your platform and outreach. And I guess your community building, heart and hustle to make things happen here in Cleveland. And so can I ask you, how can people get involved in work that you're doing at the Cleveland Playhouse if people want to get help support you in some capacity or volunteer? What are some things that people can do the listeners to advocate for the things that you care about, Marcella? - Yeah, we have volunteering opportunities. So once a month in each neighborhood, so we have five different community markets. Thanks to our partnership with the Cleveland Food Bank, we are able to provide fresh food, veggies, fruits, bread to the families of the neighborhoods. So we currently serve Clark Fulton, West Boulevard, Union Miles, Lee Harvard and Collinwood. So we're always looking for volunteers to come and help. We are doing it safely. Everybody's masked up and we just pass a full kind of a drive-through setting. We also have opportunities to engage with our after-school programs. So we are currently in 15 schools across the city. Yeah, fantastic. Yeah, so if there's someone that would like to tutor or help children with their homework or just teach an art class, they are always welcome to come. When I saw you dressed as Wonder Woman, when you share, I mean, and everyone will see this in our promos. But can you talk a little bit about that and the reaction of the kids? How old they are? Like, please, please give us more on this Marcella. Yeah, so in that semester, I think it was fall 2019. I don't remember, but I was teaching two classes, one for kindergarten through second grade and one for middle schoolers. So the middle school class was comic club. They need to learn how to write, but they hate it, you know, so you cannot do it traditionally. Right. So I was like, okay, who likes comics? Me, me, me. So I said, okay, I'm going to the science, academic program where the students can create their own character based on their skills and what they love about themselves. Because that's something that that likes in you, you know, sometimes they don't accept themselves. They don't know how to love themselves. So that was part of the program, creating your own superhero, create the colors, the costume. And I remember after that class, my students started following me super low-pins. Because that's my husband's last name, Lopez. Yeah, yeah. And they were like, you're a mislopist. You are super low-pins. You help us fight the bad guys for us. So then we're doing this comic program where they write their stories. They use their superhero, but then Halloween came. Yeah. And I was able to buy my Wonder Woman costume. Right. And I showed up to the school one day. It was Halloween. And all the kids were like, wow. Actually, the Kindergarteners, you know, they thought I was the real Wonder Woman. Oh my gosh. I bet they did. Oh, Marcel, I bet they did. That is darling. Oh my gosh, I love it. I love it. And after that day, I was like, okay, I guess I could pull it off with little children. Yeah. So when we had to go virtual for the pandemic, you know, we had to have all our programs into a virtual setting. Yeah. And we have a little mascot called Sivo, which is the very, that helps you express your emotions in one of our programs. So we have the Sivo Hour, where the kids could come, it launched and just ask Sivo about things about the pandemic, about what was going on. So one day, Sivo asked me to come as Wonder Woman. And I created a little program for the little ones, you know, Kindergarten and 3rd grade, to how to be superheroes in real life. So of course, you know, it was like, let's create our superhero name. Let's find something at home where we can make our custom with. But also, you know, teaching them to wash their hands. Super heroes wear a mask. Oh. How to wear a mask to protect others. Marcelo, brilliant. That is so brilliant. How did you, and how you gamified it? How you made it fun? And, you know, it's a happy memory. You were able to convert that energy in a way that felt safe, and magical and delightful, and empowering. I mean, real, see, that's what I'm talking about listeners. Like, I love it. And the kids don't even know that that's happening right now, that they're learning, and that you're helping them see a more empowered version of themselves. They just, just being themselves is a super power. And seeing you be yourself is a super power. Using creativity to be able to connect all the communities, right? Through the arts and diversity, it's just so fantastic. So definitely, we need to do to pop a link in the show notes to be able to capture that. But I just love it. Marcel, I hope I can see students coming years from now and coming and sharing how they started their career because of Ms. Marcelo, or can totally see you helping them see their own light. So, so fantastic. I just really appreciate that. So, are you ready to do my favorite part of next thing with Jing? Always ready. [laughter] Right, yeah. Always fired up. That's Marcelo. [laughter] Next, I can see that. There you go. So, we're going to start the lightning round. And we're going to go through a couple of things that you love, that you like, and you can answer in one word, or you can answer in a sentence sound, but it's really writing props for us to be able to get to know you better. So, here we go. We're so happy. All right. One thing you love eating. [speaking Spanish] Always. [laughter] Yes. One thing you're reading. I'm reading a script right now. Oh. Return to sender. Oh, that sounds good. That sounds good. One thing that makes you giggle. [laughter] Everything I get. My cut. My cut. Oh, okay. [laughter] Shout out to what's your cat's name? The apple. Oh, the apple. Shout out to Tiago. My cat's name was Pablo, by the way. Yeah. Oh, that's my husband's name. That's so funny. Okay. Shout out to Pablo. Your Pablo and Pablo may he rest in peace. He's having it at the moment. Okay. All right. I'm back. One thing that makes you sizzle as a mad angry. Injustice. Yes. Yes. One thing you love to give. Love. Yes. One thing you love to get. Fool. Tacos, tacos, tacos. Yes. Okay. One thing you don't choose to do or like to do. Oh, the dishes. I could. I'm sorry. Very consistent. I can ask. One thing that helps you through. My husband. Very nice. One thing that delights you. The world and all the different mysteries and things will never know what they exist, you know? I love how you make poetry and art out of it all, Marcia. That's why I can't wait to see your play. Magic. One thing that frightens you. Not being able to do enough. Yes. Yes. Never enough hours in the day. I, you know, so many ideas. All the things. So many ideas. Yeah. What's one thing on your bucket list? I want to go to the Grand Canyon. Oh, you do. I know that's kind of a messy thing to do, but no, it's on my bucket list too. I mean, yeah, absolutely. All right. When we do that, we'll come back and talk about it, Marcella. Yeah. And you'll do a play. We'll do a podcast or a song about it. One thing on your bucket list, meaning I'm not going to do that. Oh, I would never do a skydiving. You would never do skydiving. I'm afraid of heights. I'm terrified of heights. I would never have suspected that wonder woman low-paz. I would never have. Oh, that's so interesting. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with it. I do have a true confession. I actually have been skydiving. And I, it wasn't, it wasn't the 10,000 foot, but it was 3,000 feet. And I had to go on the strut of the sesta. And you have to free fall and drop back and pull your parachute. So it was the scariest part. I actually was watching all of the videos, the liability videos of what could happen if you didn't land correctly. But I totally see jumping out of planes and off of buildings. And so that's that's like, well, you do it, you do it through your work. So there you go. One thing you always want to be true about you. Being compassionate and genuine in my relationships with others. Yes. Absolutely true, absolutely true. Let me ask you this. What's one thing that you're really excited about right now that gets you fired up? I am very excited about continuing to reaching people, continuing to engaging with children and youth, especially those who needed the most. Yes. I'm so passionate about that. And can you speak a little bit about the middle school program for girls who code? You told me about getting the different groups together. Could you touch on that a bit? Yes. So when I was in the after school setting, I remember we had a group for for gentlemen. It was just to teach them how to create the bold in their ties, how to, you know, dress up, do their hair, all this. And we didn't have one for girls. Yes. So I was like, okay, how can we do something fun for them? Well, they can build sisterhood, but also something that is meaningful for their lives. So we came across the girls who code program. I'm not a coder. I learned a little bit about in college, but I was like, I can do it. And this this program is brilliant because it can, you can be a facilitator, anybody can be a facilitator, and you can teach the girls how to code. And it was really great. At first, some of the kids were like, "I don't care about these. I don't want to do these." But one of the girls came to me and said, "Thank you so much, me, because now my mom will believe, like I'm smart too, and not only my brother." Oh my gosh. Okay, I need to put my phone down. Marcella. That is so powerful. That is so powerful. Oh my gosh, that's so moving. How did that make you feel? I'm a cryer. Working with the kids, I have learned how to keep it. But you know, you feel like a little light in your heart every time you hear something like that. What you are doing, someone is always watching. Someone is always being impacted by a little thing. Absolutely. That is to me turning point transformation point moment for that little girl. And she's going to do that for someone else. Mark my words and she's going to thank you, Marcella, for that. Oh my gosh, that is so lovely. I think we talked about this. I always, when we met, I said, I feel like a metacister. And I always asked my mom and my dad for a brother or sister growing up. I always wanted to be the older kid. And so in Filipino culture, it's called Ate. So it's like Ate J. That's what a younger, a younger cousin or a sibling would call you. So I was going to say for you, Marcella or Tita. Also, I always love being a Tita and auntie, like a Tita. I love to be called Tita J. Ate J. or Mama J. Those are my three favorite titles. And so I would say for you, I could just totally see you being that Ate for a, you know, a young girl or a Tita or the sister or someone that they could come to and just ask anything personally, professionally. I think that we need so much more of that in our world. So fantastic. That somehow through the pandemic, you are creating these connections and continue to drive powerful stories forward and helping kids see the most empowered, wonderful, wonder woman version of themselves. So Marcella, thank you so much for coming on next thing with Jing. Will you come back? Do you promise me that you'll come back? I will. Just I like you so much. Now you're so much fun. I'm really blessed and thankful that I met you. We had this opportunity to chat. Oh my gosh. This will be the first of many. And so everyone, please check out the links in the show notes. And I want to thank your mom and your dad. And I know, at least for me, I have a very special place in my heart. I'm one of two girls. And my dad didn't have any sons. And so I always spelled and even more, even more pressure to rise and be the strong, independent young girl, because I wasn't a doctor. I was in crave. In fact, we talked about this. My mom, they still don't know what I do. Actually, like we tried to be delighted. I think because we're reimagining and reinventing constantly. So I just want every other brown girl like Marcella and I know you will find your way. You will find your people. You will continue to part of your own path. And you're going to make your families proud. We are the creative content folks in the world that we can imagine the possibilities. And we need that kind of light and leadership right now. And again, so grateful that Marcella could make it. And so we will continue the conversation when her play goes live and we'll certainly make sure to promote her in the show notes. Marcella, Gracia. Good asses of Beijing. Thank you so much. Thanks everyone. Browngirl.com. Thanks so much for listening to Next Thing with Jing. Share your light. Be the spark. Start your new story. Keep shining. Even when things go dark. Cheers. And here's to your next chapter. New adventure starting now. Catch you next time on Next Thing with Jing. [BLANK_AUDIO]