Karina Soler Nascimento Saunders

Seattle, Washington
saunderk@seattleu.edu, 917-513-3535

Education M.Ed., Student Development Administration 2019 Seattle University, Seattle, WA

BA, Spanish 2008 Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Professional Assistant Director Aug 2016 - Present

Experience Fostering Scholars Program
Seattle University, Seattle, WA
• Coordinate 10 quarterly community building programs facilitating dialogue and
strengthening a sense of belonging to increase student retention and completion
• Serve as designated support staff administering selection process and provide
comprehensive support services for cohort of 20+ undergraduates who are alumni
of the foster care system
• Coach 10+ first year and continuing scholars in one-on-one weekly meetings
utilizing the Seven Life Domains model and creative reflection to promote
academic, personal, and identity development
• Connect students to resources at the institution and state-wide to build support
systems and professional identities
• Provide crisis management of students with a history of trauma, low-income,
students of color, first-generation, and other marginalized identities
• Facilitate career engagement program for current scholars to assist with summer
and post-graduate career discernment
• Collaborated across department to facilitate departmental training to increase
multicultural competency for 30+ professional staff
• Co-chair of the King-County Passport Consortium, a diverse group of King County
foster care stakeholders who create strategies that improve access to post-
secondary programs for youth in foster care

Vendor Program Coordinator Jan 2014 – Jul 2016

Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project
Seattle, WA
• Directed and redesigned Homeless Speakers Bureau for 15 people with experiences
of homelessness to publicly share their stories at schools and public events
• Recruited new speakers for Homeless Speakers Bureau and led reflective
storytelling workshops
• Supervised and instituted weekly curriculum for a cohort of college interns
encouraging social justice awareness and identity development
• Provided crisis assistance for diverse group of 100+ low-income and homeless
street-newspaper vendors experiencing physical, mental, and historical trauma
• Co-created Vendor Leadership Committee to give vendors leadership experience
and a voice over organizational decisions
• Designed annual Vendor Program staff retreat for 5-person team
• Operated program office including data management, staff supervision, and
volunteer management

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Professional Program Manager Aug 2010 – Aug 2014
Experience The Pilgrimage
Cont. Washington, D.C.
• Designed and implemented service-learning curriculums for 30 student and adult
groups annually; curriculums covered racial reconciliation, urban poverty, and
hunger
• Managed volunteer placement for 30+ groups of 15-40 people annually
• Coordinated and led multiple cooccurring, college alternative-break groups in
experiential learning curriculums that incorporated local marginalized voices as
educators
• Created pre- and post-immersion curricula for individual and group reflection,
using an equity lens to challenge students to reflect on privilege and bias as they
engaged in service work
• Hired and supervised summer interns to guide student groups through the city
• Oversaw hostel administration and daily maintenance of a 40-bed facility in
downtown D.C.
• Organized a city-wide educational community of service-learning professionals for
ongoing collaboration and workshop development
Workcamp Leader Dec 2010 - Aug 2014
YSOP, Youth Services Opportunities Project
Washington, D.C.
• Organized logistical programmatic details for community service-learning groups of
10-60 youth and adults
• Facilitated service-learning community meal program for low income and homeless
guests and visiting volunteers
• Taught service orientations and reflections about homelessness for groups of 10-60
youth and adults

Professional NPARC, Non-Profit Anti-Racism Coalition Leadership Team 2014 –2018

Development Seattle, WA
& Trainings Social Justice Training Institute 2018
Springfield, MA
Fostering Success Coach Training 2017
Fullerton, CA
Train the Trainer: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race Cultures 2016
Connecting Portland, OR
Undoing Racism Community Organizing Workshop 2014
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
Washington, DC
Training for Social Action Trainers Training for Change 2012
Philadelphia, PA

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