Scholars of Color- Julissa Contreras
What is Scholars of Color?
It is a platform in which scholars of color are purposefully celebrated. It’s a space where scholars of color are showcased front and center. It is a digital space where we feel empowered and resilient. Let us get to know each other. Let us cheer each other on AND show the world what we have to offer.
Let us now welcome Julissa Contreras to the Scholars of Color space!
Name: Julissa Contreras
Location: Bronx, NY + Denver, CO
Gender Pronouns: she/her/fulanita
What's your current occupation? (i.e. Student, Scientist, Coach, In transition, etc.): Writer, Founder + host of Ladies Who Bronché, Producer, Creative Media Director at NAYAH Studios
Without positions or titles, how would you describe yourself?: I'm just a human body hosting a spirit that is eager to help the world reclaim the power of storytelling in order to stand in the power of our history and launch into the potentials of our future
What are you passionate about?: Storytelling, self care, equity, justice + truth
What does the representation of Scholars of Color mean to you?: It's breaking the convention that the prestige of knowledge lives within people who have opted/ been forced into PWI's. Most of our knowledge is ancestral. All of our truth lives in our intuition. Traditional frameworks rooted in colonialism do not honor or teach us how to tap into ourselves. Even when standard research and reading is the way to teach+learn, we have to enter our studies acknowledging the truth that the riches parts if our histories have been erased or re-written intentionally. It is up to us to rebuild, document, and share our personal experiences because our truths and how we live our lives IS history in motion. We must preserve our truth and protect it from being twisted so the future can know themselves better than we had the chance to. That's what builds great leaders; speaking truth, investigating truth, sharing truth, and committing to honorable truth.
If people are interested in getting connected to you, how can they?: @jewleesah across platforms, julissacontrreras.com
Anything else you would like us to know?: Julissa Contreras is a Dominicana from the Bronx who works to facilitate dialogue, build spaces, and create art that center overlooked experiences. Julissa is currently working as the Creative Media Director at NAYAH Studio. With a focus on storytelling, program development, and community curation, Julissa collaborates with organizations and artists on opportunities that influence pathways for meaningful change. She is the creator of Ladies Who Bronché the podcast and YouTube’s “Shit Spanish Girls Say” and continues her work as a creative writer, performer, and creative consultant. She was the former Community and Impact Program Manager at WeWork, Operations Manager at Donorly, and Adolescent Leadership Program Manager at Children’s Aid Society- Hope Leadership Center.
Thank you Julissa for sharing space with us!
Stay tuned everyone for more Scholars of Color profiles. Interested in being showcased yourself? Please email the Scholars of Color team at scholarsofcolor@reclaimingyourhappiness.com and we will get back to you shortly.
