Meet Our Team!
Philomena and Nicole became friends at College of Santa Fe in 2006 and began Unlocked Minds in 2014 in response to the cancellation of a series of important youth focused initiatives in the local community. As a means to continue serving young people through the arts, they worked together to build a new organization that would ensure the most vulnerable young people had free access to creative expression.
Education Outreach Assistant
Willow is from Mora, New Mexico and is a former Unlocked Minds, Inc. program participant. Willow assists our team with curriculum development, prep, and facilitation. She is a writer and a poet and brings great ideas and a bright, enthusiastic energy to all she does!
Manuel González
Teaching Artist
A performance poet who began his career in the poetry slam, Manuel has represented Albuquerque four times as a member of the ABQ Slam Team at the National Poetry Slam. Manuel has appeared on the NMPBS show, Colores: My Word is My Power, and is one of the founding members of the poetry troupe The Angry Brown Poets. Manuel teaches workshops on self-expression through poetry in high schools and youth detention centers. He has also worked with art therapists to help incarcerated young men find an outlet to express themselves. Manuel was a also a coach and mentor for the the Santa Fe High Poetry Slam Team for four years.