Laura Zárate’s love of plants began with her abuelas’ gardens and the aromatic hierbas used by a barrio curandera in Brownsville, Texas. Laura is a bilingual trainer with international experience and founder of two nonprofits. In Paraguay she worked with street children and cofounded a child victim rights organization in 1991. As Arte Sana’s founding executive director, she has organized national bilingual conferences, survivor art exhibits, Spanish language webinars and social media campaigns for ‘advocacy sin fronteras’ outreach efforts since 2001. Her many years of experience addressing trauma and victim rights eventually led to a greater appreciation of the healing power of nature. As a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas since 2019, she has promoted the engagement of diverse communities in native plant conservation, drafted its bilingual Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statement, and its first social media campaign for Texas Native Plant Week. Arte Sana’s new ‘Plantas y Gente’ initiative, she hopes to help communities reconnect with our ancestral relation with plants that date back to the first gardens of the Americas. She is also a native plant photographer and nature-inspired artist who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Our Grantees
Ana Salgado
Ana is originally from Honduras where she received a BS in Environmental Engineering. Ana has lived in Florida…
Breanna Gonzalez
Breanna González is an Environmental Policy Coordinator based in Denver, Colorado, the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of…
Cecilia Arteaga
Cecilia enjoys working in spaces where marketing meets advocacy, and where creativity rises from adversity. After graduating from…
Dr. Orlando Kent Mercado White JD
Professionally I have been dedicated to providing medical and legal professional services ranging from management to being a…
Faruk Bagdah
Manager of environmental management and sustainable development programs, University professor in the environmental area, coordinator and evaluator of…
Isabella Briseno
Bella is an undergraduate student at Penn State University double majoring in Environmental Resource Management and Political Science.…
Katherine (Angela) Weikel
I’m excited to be an ambassador for Latin@ Conservation Week! I feel in love with the outdoors as…
Laura Zárate
Laura Zárate’s love of plants began with her abuelas’ gardens and the aromatic hierbas used by a barrio…
Priscilla Inostroza
Priscilla is a student at Texas State University studying Wildlife Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. She…
Roxana Saravia
Roxana Saravia is from Long Island, New York and she has experience in environmental education, field work, and…
Shley Suarez-Burgos
Shley Suarez Burgos (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Miami. At a young age, Shley discovered her passion…
Virginia Ansaldi
Virginia Ansaldi has over 10 years experience working in outdoor education, experiential learning, and science communication. She is…