Welcome Karina!

Hi all! I am so excited to be writing this post. My name is Karina Zapata and I’m the newest team member of Sarjesa. I’m joining the team as Marketing Coordinator, meaning you’ll be seeing a lot of me (or, at the very least, a lot of my work) on social media and at community events.

I initially connected with Alexandra through one of my projects, Femme — a platform that empowers and celebrates women through the creative expression of our contributors across Canada. Alexandra attended our launch party and has been such a huge supporter, even before she could truly understand what Femme really was — she just wanted to support women. Immediately, I knew we shared the same vision and had the same mission — to break down oppressive systems, create, and support women in whatever way we can in our work.

As an upper-year journalism student, my passion lies completely in collaborating with and writing about minority communities. Above all, my personal and professional goal is to support marginalized individuals through providing them platforms to share their strong voices that have been stifled by systems

Months after meeting Alexandra, my Femme co-founder and I produced a video and wrote an article about Sarjesa’s work, which can be found on the Calgary Journal. We had an incredibly honest conversation surrounding domestic violence, particularly against racialized communities. In the process of working on the Sarjesa article, I learned that Sarjesa’s funds that go to Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society help women in crisis in smaller yet extremely impactful ways that are oftentimes overlooked, like milk for the babies at the shelter. This is exactly why I love this company.

I can say it again and again, but I am so excited to be joining the Sarjesa team. It’s easy to forget that the purchases you make and the companies you support affect the lives and safety of others, and Sarjesa transforms lives of women in crisis. There truly is nothing better than having a delicious cup of tea, knowing that you’re helping women not return to domestic violence, and engaging in meaningful conversations that can change systems for the better.