In June of 2018, I returned to New York City after spending months in Latin America, where I was leading my Uniendo Las Americas entrepreneurship competition.

Food and Latin America are two things that I love deeply. So once I returned to New York City, I was looking for a way to combine these passions. Except this time, there was a twist. A few weeks into my vegan journey, I was looking for some sort of community for this life transition.

So I joined a meetup group called “Vegan Latinos NYC” and received a message from a woman named Eloísa. We exchanged a few messages and then made plans to have lunch the next day at Candle Cafe (miss you, Candle Cafe!).

Eloísa was strong and vibrant, full of energy and endless patience and compassion for me as I asked every question under the sun about veganism, activism, nutrition, social life, dating, you name it.

I left feeling nourished, empowered, seen, and cared for.

4 years of friendship later, I still feel the same way after interacting with Eloísa. But something else became clear to me through these years of sharing time with Eloísa. I realized that just as she has shared knowledge and space with me, she has done so for countless others.

She is an anomaly of a human being, her genius soaring outside of any box, multi-layered and multi-talented. She is an artist, an activist, a writer, an organizer, a human rights observer, and a non-human ambassador and protector. She is one of the most dedicated, fierce, loving, compassionate and brilliant leaders I’ve ever had the good fortune of meeting.

I recently had a chance to spend a Saturday afternoon with Eloísa and her team in Tompkins Square Park with the organization Chilis on Wheels, where Eloísa is currently the executive director.