COLLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS

Rosanna is fiercely committed to elevating collective conversations while thriving fiercely in the fullness of authenticity. As a consultant, facilitator, and thought partner, she has collaborated with several organizations throughout the Bay Area and has a strong understanding of the nuances involved in taking on difficult issues with inclusivity in mind. Among the organizations and institutions she has collaborated with in this role include Somos Mayfair, Democratic Activists for Women Now, SVCreates, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, San Jose Staté University’s Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center, CARAS of Gilroy, De Anza College’s Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education, and Stanford’s Career Education Center. She has also consulted, coached, and facilitated for several pockets of Santa Clara County leadership, including Social Services Agency, the Division of Equity and Social Justice, and the Office of Women’s Policy.

CREATIVE CATALYST

Rosanna’s lifework is grounded in her mission to embrace personal power through creative inspiration. As an educator, she has taught at both the high school and college level, while also supporting her colleagues through a series of professional development workshops throughout the course of several years. As an artist and poet, she intentionally includes arts-based strategies in her pedagogy in an effort to build a practice grounded in healing centered engagement strategies. As a multi-faceted interdisciplinary artist, her work finds its way into the world in several forms. The result of that work is consistently inclusive conversations that lead to actionable strategies.

She is the co-founder of the Andariega Collective, an organization that supports women and youth in a gender-responsive, culturally informed spaces that cultivate resiliency through advocacy, cultural values, and identity development. Under this effort, she co-authored and co-created Mayahuel, A Young Women’s Resiliency Program. She continues to serve as an advocate while coaching others toward capacity building as an extension of this work.

As a multifaceted social entrepreneur, Rosanna is also the founder of Citlali Rose, a cultural brand that offers an array of bold and unique products that make a statement for daily living. The brand also serves as a platform that inspires creativity while igniting personal power in ways that emphasize the magic of “making” as central to thriving in our daily lives. The creative offerings are an extension and bridge to the range of conversations had in more structured spaces of activism and social justice work.

STORYTELLING AS ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM

Rosanna firmly believes in the power of storytelling as advocacy and activism. Her time as a nonprofit grant-writer and former co-director solidified this reality as she experienced firsthand the power of crafting compelling narratives while bridging access to historical legacy to inspire individual and collective action.

Her interest in creating an on-going conversation that uplifts through testimonio (our personal story telling) in a way that brings folks together across space and time anchored in sincerity, power, and community is also what compelled her to create the Hella Chingona Podcast. The intent of that work continues to build on an archive of stories where Chingonas thrive. She has received countless personal notes from listeners who identify with the issues and stories shared by way of the podcast and who appreciate the complex layers of perspective offered on issues of diversity, leadership, authenticity, legacy, and success.

This same commitment to building an archive of accessible stories that inspire action and ground us in legacy also served as motivation to join Kooltura Marketing as the co-founder and editor of Eastside Magazine. The magazine was created to capture the heart of East San José by highlighting the community’s deeply rooted history, cultural vibrancy, ample assets and considerable resources to emphasize a sense of pride, appreciation, and understanding of East San José – as not just an important point of destination, but a home with a rich cultural legacy as the heart of San José.  

Sample presentation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw6eoPAf0/PEZZ0Q0si9kjW-aCdT8lig/edit?utm_content=DAFw6eoPAf0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

WRITING AND SPEAKING

Rosanna writes creative nonfiction and poetry that addresses self-recovery, voice, and liberation. She describes her writing as a constant process of re-membering herself whole while translating the living legacy of the stories that have shaped us into who we have become both individually and collectively. Her speaking highlights the full range of her work with a variety of different audiences.

She has appeared on Comunidad del Valle, shared spoken word on KKUP and KPFA, appeared on stage as a featured poet at the San Jose Women’s March, and served as a featured poetic voice in collaboration with several organizations. As an educator, she teaches within the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at San Jose State University and the Women’s Studies Department at De Anza College. She is currently working on a series of children’s books, and her collection of poetry is set to make its debut this spring.

Within and through all of those adventures, Rosanna is a Chicana from East San Jose, mother of three guerreras, and a trucker’s wife. She parks her thoughts, poetry, and visual art as a creative offering over on her Citlali Rose blog. She currently resides in Hollister, California.