Past Facilitators
Sophie Hill
Hi there ART Initiative inquirer! My name is Sophie Hill and I’m a UCSC graduate who majored in legal studies and psychology. What sparked my advocacy for survivors of domestic violence and incarcerated women is my strong interest in the legal system and its influence on people of particular socio-economic backgrounds. Facilitating and directing this program has been a wonderful learning experience. I have learned not only from my fellow facilitators, but from the incarcerated women’s strength and personality. I appreciate the commitment the women and facilitators have shown towards this program and know that there would be no ART Initiative without their dedication. I am excited to see how this program will continue to progress and assist the Santa Cruz community.
Zula Ganzorig
My name is Zula Ganzorig and I am a student at UCSC, pursuing a BA in Psychology and Sociology. Growing up witnessing injustices happen to my community, I have developed a strong passion for understanding the inner workings of legal systems and the way they affect communities, mentally and physically. Being involved with the ART Initiative program has only expanded this passion. Through working with inmates at the Santa Cruz County Jails, I have grown to understand how mentally detrimental and traumatic incarceration is. Using creative and therapeutic forms of art, we aim to alleviate some of these mental obstacles for inmates. I want to thank all of the inmates for sharing their stories of struggles and triumphs and inspiring me to be conscious of the issues facing our community. I also want to thank my fellow facilitators for helping me grow as a person and a facilitator and I am especially grateful for the support we have received from the Santa Cruz community.
Ayana Faison
Hello! My name is Ayana Faison and I’m a third year Cognitive Science and Education student at UCSC. I’ve always had an interest in working with those people who are typically disadvantaged in society, specifically women and children who lack resources and access to programs that can assist them. Being a part of this program has been truly inspiring. The women we work with are smart, funny, and insightful. We aim to have our weekly sessions be a place where the women can not only express their artistic abilities, but also create a space for self-reflection and improvement. I am so excited to see this program expand.
Rosalie Bouchard-Bihr
Why hello there, beautiful human. My name is Rosalie Bouchard-Bihr, I am a Junior at the wonderful UCSC, majoring in Psychology and Anthropology. When I was in elementary school, I told my parents I was either going to work in a prison or a psych ward in college. Although they gave me those “good-luck-with-that” looks, they were always very encouraging. I am from Berkeley, CA where I worked at a wonderful organization called Creative Growth in Oakland. Creative Growth is an artist studio where adult men and women with mental disabilities make awe-inspiring and famous art pieces that are sold for thousands of dollars! (I highly recommend you check out their website, it’s pretty eye-opening.) It gave me a deep understanding of what expression means, and made me realize that in my opinion, the arts and creating a painting, drawing, collage, etc. can fully embody a persons expression more than words could. A lot of the women at the Santa Cruz County Jail aren’t given voices or chances like other people, and I can feel their expression growing and strengthening from our program. These women are downright beautiful, deep and caring individuals, and I am thrilled to be apart of The Art Initiative -- See, parents? Told ya! Next stop is the psych ward…
Hope Catan
Hi, my name is Hope Catan and I am a graduate student at Notre Dame de Namur University in the Master of Arts in Art Therapy program. My interest in societal systems and my passion for art is what has led me to become a member of the ART Initiative. I am excited to see the expressive and transformative power of art at work in the lives of the women in the program. I look forward to working along side and learning from all of the current and new facilitators; their experience is invaluable and their dedication and enthusiasm for the program is truly inspiring. My goal as a facilitator is to promote resilience and instill hope in the women served in this program.