In April, Mineral Springs Middle Visual and Performing Arts A+ Magnet School welcomed back the Guipil Festival and the lead presenter, Rebeca Segebre.
Segebre is a distinguished leader, educator, and award-winning author with a deep commitment to community empowerment and social change through education and literature. As the founder and president of Guipil Publishing House, Rebeca has been instrumental in creating a platform that amplifies the voices of Latina women, publishing impactful stories of culture and inspiration. Her leadership at Guipil Publishing exemplifies her dedication to enriching the academic and cultural landscape, providing Latina women the opportunity to share their narratives on a significant scale.
The Guipil Festival featured two Latina authors from Nicaragua, Claudia Galvan and Ileana Calero. Galvan-Gil presented her book "From Orphans to Children" and talked about hope and solutions for healing emotional wounds. Calero presented her book "Limitless: Direct to Success", in which she shared a thrilling story of a family fighting to overcome a kidnapping and a dangerous situation at the Mexican border as they try to immigrate to the United States. This book not only tells a moving story, but also highlights a highly relevant social issue. Through her life and this book, Calero demonstrates that success is possible with dedication and passion; she inspires others to break barriers and achieve their dreams.
The authors told stories of overcoming and hope, showing us the power of resilience and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in adversity. Their books are a testament to struggle, love, and success that undoubtedly resonated with all our students and encouraged them to pursue their own dreams and believe in the transformative power of their stories.
Segebre, Galvan-Gil, and Calero not only presented their books to our 6-8 students, but also had a dialogue with them, discussed the most current issues, and motivated them to be the best version of themselves. Guipil Festival inspires everyone to "Be Positive, Be Amazing".