Sonia’s story may sound a little different than artisans we have introduced to you before. She isn’t a weaver or a seamstress and her future plans don’t necessarily include staying with the cooperative. But for now, as Quality Control Coordinator, Sonia’s attention to detail and dedication to helping her coworkers, she is a welcome addition to the team.
Back in 2020, Sonia applied for, and was granted, a scholarship through the community development group, Grupo Cajolá, that Mayamam Weavers is a part of. She was working on an undergraduate degree in psycho pedagogy. Scholarship recipients are required to volunteer a certain number of hours during their studies. After a year, Grupo Cajolá elected Sonia to be a representative of the scholarship program to the Board of Directors. In 2022, Mayamam Weavers asked Sonia to step into the Quality Control role temporarily to fill a vacancy. After only a month, it was clear Sonia was the perfect person for the position, so she was offered a permanent job with the cooperative. First, she was a quality control assistant and then after a year she was promoted to Quality Control Coordinator.
As the Quality Control Coordinator, Sonia is responsible for inspecting all the products and preparing them to be shipped. She addresses concerns with each group of the cooperative and supports colleagues who do not understand Spanish well. She is happy to explain and translate into Mam the training workshops the women receive on topics like leadership and product innovation. “Because of my job, I have learned to be more effective and careful due to the experience I have been acquiring.” After collaborating with the group of women at Mayamam Weavers, she appreciates the idea of teamwork and is motivated to continue collaborating in the future.
Sonia is currently finishing up a master’s degree in Child Psychotherapy (yes, masters!) through the Universidad Panamericana, working at Mayamam Weavers and enjoying being a mom to Lindsay and Zsaelyn. When she isn’t busy with all of that, you can find her volunteering in the Learning Center helping children who have learning or development issues.
Sonia already has a plan in mind for when she completes her degree. She would like to work with children and adolescents in Cajolá and outside of Cajolá to identify children with special educational needs, offering psychological support. Sadly, this isn’t something that currently exists in this community or region as a profession, but Sonia can work on that. She would also like to organize a multi-disciplinary group of professionals who collaborate to change the educational system and address the social needs for the children and adolescents in the community. When the time comes for Sonia to step away from Mayamam Weavers, we will be very sad, but we can’t wait to see what she does next!
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