Local Team – Yspaniola

Our Local Team

Alejandra Garcia

Executive Director

Alejandra is Venezuelan and an educator with a master's degree in Community Social Work from the University of Puerto Rico. Her thesis focused on the topic of community self-management. She has been a teacher and professor, and is passionate about social projects. She has focused her career on designing educational programs for third-sector organizations in Venezuela and has worked on projects in Ecuador, Peru, and Panamá. Alejandra was at Batey Libertad between 2017 and 2019 when she served as Academic Director. In 2023, she returned to the Dominican Republic and is currently our Executive Director.

Mirian Rodríguez

Administrative Manager

Mirian was born and raised in the community of Batey Libertad, and she has a degree in Industrial Psychology and Public Accounting. Before working with Yspaniola, she worked as an Administrative Assistant at a clinic in Santiago. She has been working as the Administrative Manager for the Yspaniola team since 2017. In her role, she also helps support the food program and manages the university scholarship program. She is grateful to have the opportunity to directly support her community.

Johnny Dose

Teacher

Johnny has been a teacher at Yspaniola’s preschool since 2018. He completed his education degree in 2021 at the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA) in Mao. Having grown up in Batey Libertad, Johnny speaks both Spanish and Creole, which helps him foster relationships with his students and their parents. Johnny is very passionate about teaching the children of the Batey Libertad community because he believes that the development and freedom of the nation can only be achieved through education. Outside of his responsibilities with Yspaniola, Johnny likes to play and coach soccer in Batey Libertad.

Ketrina Joseph

Preschool Teaching assistant

Ketrina graduated from secondary school in June of 2024 and joined Yspaniola in September of the same year. She attended Yspaniola’s learning center as a primary school student, and is now excited to help support the organization moving forward. She has seen firsthand the impact that education has on the children of Batey Libertad, and as a preschool teaching assistant, she works hard to aid our youngest learners, ensuring they are comfortable and having fun in the classroom. She plans to attend college to study nursing in the coming years.

Wislyne Florestal

Custodian

Wislyne has been working as a custodian for Yspaniola since July of 2022. She does an excellent job keeping our office and school spaces clean, ensuring that our students have access to the best facilities possible. She is a very hard worker, responsible and efficient. Wislyne is a Haitian migrant, a mother of one, and an integral part of the Yspaniola team.

Odner Joseph

Community Coordinator

Odner Joseph was born in Haiti. After growing up in Marchand Dessalines, he studied at College Mixte Perelin in Port au Prince where he graduated with a degree in Accounting and Bank Telling in 2015. Since moving to Batey Libertad, he has become an integral part of the community. He now works as a Community Coordinator with Yspaniola, where he helps support community development projects across the organization.

Mariela Corsino Helena

Preschool Teacher

Mariela Corsino Helena is a preschool teacher born and raised in Batey Libertad. She joined Yspaniola after graduating from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) with an education degree. Mariela decided to work with Yspaniola because she wants to support the children from the same community in which she grew up; she is friends with the families of Batey Libertad, and they share mutual respect and care. She teaches from the heart and is passionate about contributing to the education and development of children.

Guerdy Sylmeus

Teaching Assistant

Guerdy has been part of the Yspaniola family for many years, and formally joined our team in August of 2024 as a Learning Center Teaching Assistant. Guerdy graduated from secondary school in 2024, and hopes to attend college to study nursing in the next couple of years. Guerdy, who was born and raised in Batey Libertad, was once a student at the Yspaniola Learning Center herself, and she is grateful to now have the opportunity to support the educational development of the next generations.

Wilson Sentimo

Caretaker

From Batey Libertad, Wilson takes care of all Yspaniol'a premises, and keeps our preschool park in beautiful conditions. During Yspaniola’s Summer Camps, he often leads music programs, as he loves singing, rapping, and is a talented drummer. Wilson also enjoys showing visitors around Batey Libertad, sharing stories about the community and the changes that the batey has seen over time.

Samuel Deshommes

Operations Assistant

Samuel was born, raised and continues to reside in Batey Libertad. In 2019, he received a university scholarship from Yspaniola to study Tourism and Hotel Business Administration at the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA). Samuel has been supporting the work of Yspaniola for many years, specifically helping organize our service trips and summer camp programs. He formally joined our team as the Operations Assistant in September 2024. In his free time, he likes to play soccer and cook.

Mayra Rodríguez

Teaching Coordinator

Mayra graduated from Yspaniola's University Scholars Program in 2016, earning a degree in Natural Sciences Education from the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA) in Santiago. Mayra has been a part of Yspaniola’s programming for several years, helping students and supporting classroom teachers. Currently, she is our coordinator in the Learning Center.

Willy Multidor

Learning Center Teacher

Wily, a resident of Batey Libertad, is currently serving as Yspaniola’s Learning Center Teacher. Wily graduated from secondary school in June 2023 and joined the Yspaniola team the following October. Throughout his primary school education, Wily was a student at the same Learning Center. He works there now to give back to his community and provide the children of Batey Libertad with the same support and mentorship he received as a young student. In the coming year, Wily hopes to attend college and become a licensed physical education teacher.

María Sosa

Food Program Coordinator

A mother of three, María (known as "Toutouta") began working as Food Program Coordinator in September 2017 and greatly enjoys the opportunity to interact with children in a school-based setting. She has many high hopes for the children of Batey Libertad: “I hope that they grow up to have a good future, good education, and good health.” Toutouta also supports Yspaniola as a Host Mom, welcoming students and volunteers into her home and making them feel at ease throughout their stay. In her free time, Toutouta enjoys sitting outside her house with friends and talking over a nice cup of coffee.

International Fellows and Interns

Yspaniola partners with Princeton in Latin America, a non-profit organization that places recent college graduates interested in international development and education with non-profits across Latin America. In addition, Yspaniola hires talented fellows to further strengthen the organization’s team. Fellowships are full-time, temporary work placements, of up to one year, that support Yspaniola’s local programs and contribute to media development, grant writing, and community outreach projects.