Sylvia Mendoza is a powerful j

Journalist: I’m passionate about the articles I write for a variety of publications.

Editor: I love working with clients to bring out the best of their voice and vision.

Author: I try to create heartfelt relationships in women’s fiction that resonate with readers and non-fiction works that I hope inspire.

Speaker: I share my love of writing, celebrating women’s achievements and overcoming obstacles at conferences, schools, and with special interest organizations.

Kidnapped in 2002 by guerilla revolutionaries, Columbian presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, was held hostage for six years in what became her living hell. The daily horrors, fears, and betrayals made her question her purpose and tried to strip her of dignity, but also made her pull on core strength and stamina she didn’t know simmered deep within her.

An anti-corruption activist whose convictions for equality for the poor and underrepresented drove her to the Columbian jungles in the first place, Ingrid worked for social justice and had become a political contender. Her captors wielded great power over her. Every freedom was denied her, which tested her faith in humanity, but she could not be broken. Her captivity set her on a new path of enlightenment; she embraced her spirituality to preserve her sanity and her moral compass.

“I still had one freedom: to decide who I wanted to be and how I would carry myself,” she says. “I thought, ‘I won’t bend, won’t be what they want me to be.’”

Writing of her nightmare in Even Silence has an End: My Six Years in Captivity in the Columbian Jungles, “was torture,” she said, “ but I needed to transform those years I had lost into something positive.”

I interviewed Ingrid for Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine. As a journalist, what I know is this: every story has two (or more sides) to it. I know that. I know that fellow hostages wrote their own books, condemning her, harassing her, heaping on humiliating anecdotes and perceptions. They portrayed her as cunning, a bitch, an elitist and as a threat to their safety.

But when she spoke in my neck of the woods at the University of California, San Diego, what I saw and heard, what I had researched and what she had spoken to me directly, was something altogether different (and I wondered why men still are considered leaders—not bastards—if they did what she had to survive). I saw this woman of great courage.  She saw herself as frail, not strong at all. Yet she attempted escape four times, knowing the consequences would be severe if caught. She never said or wrote that she had been raped or viciously assaulted—she said she self-censored because of her children and to preserve a part of her heart. As a reader, how could one not read between the lines?

All her escape attempts failed.

She was beaten, chained like an animal to a tree, confined to inches of silent space.

It didn’t break her. Born in Columbia but raised in France, the daughter of politicians and dignitaries, she led a privileged life, she says, but accepted her father’s challenge to return to Columbia to make a difference. He died while she was held captive. All she could do now was tell her story, and do so with integrity, in memory of her father.

On the UCSD stage, her posture was perfect; she looked lithe, like a dancer; yet, if ever in my life I saw a “haunted” look in someone’s eyes, this was it. In that instant, I knew she’d been through a hell I couldn’t really fathom. I wanted the interviewer to finish, to let her rest her weary bones. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and protect her, even for a moment.

She’d been through worse. She held herself together with grace and poise. Later I asked if she thought the sadness would ever leave her eyes.  She said, “No, but I am grateful for life and a second chance.”

It was a second chance to be a mother to her children, a role model for women who doubt themselves and their innate strengths, an activist who stood for what was right when she could barely physically stand. In her soft spoken manner, Ingrid touched my heart and inspired me to put things into perspective, to own my own convictions, to be brave enough to take a step back, reassess and believe—even in the darkest of times—that I can start over.

San Antonio, TX
March 3-5, 2011
Hyatt Regency Riverwalk
www.aahhe.org

Sylvia will cover workshops and presentations at this conference for Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine. The conference features breakthroughs and research of Hispanics in Higher Education, the latest developments and approaches that can help all students to excel even in a time of financial crises and the celebration of educators, their discoveries and research.

Sylvia can also be available to meet with San Antonio-based clients while at this conference. Contact her at: sylvia@sylvia-mendoza.com

Sylvia’s Workshops:

SEXY, SEDUCTIVE, SQUEAMISH: Creating Compelling Characters with (a Little) Alliteration
Come ready for fun and games, writing against the clock–and learn how alliteration can help create compelling characters. Get those juices flowing with this word play approach. Brainstorm, create and write! A fun way to get to the heart of your characters–and a chance to challenge yourself to write silly, serious, and sometimes stupendous stuff that will surprise you!

GETTING TO THE HEART OF NON-FICTION: WHAT MAKES PERSONALITY TICK?

Are you writing a memoir? An autobiography?A profile of someone interesting?

How do you take the nugget of a person’s experience and turn it into a gem?  Whether you’re writing about your life or that of another, getting to the heart of personality and story is essential. Learn how to dig into rich detail, anecdotes and dialogue to highlight a person’s inspiration, insights, invaluable lessons, and incredible journeys.  Come ready to write!!

From political leaders like Eva Per¤n-who ruled Argentina with flamboyance and an iron fist-to pioneers like France Anne Cordova-the youngest person to ever hold the Chief Scientist position at NASA-The Book of Latina Women provides a unique perspective on Latina women from all periods in history and all walks of life.

WHAT MADE A LATINA INSPIRATIONAL?

I’m often asked how I came up with the list of inspirational women I researched for The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength and Success.

I wanted women who would be timeless, whether they were historical figures or contemporary women. What they accomplished, their contributions, would speak to my grandma and to my own children at the same time.

These remarkable Latinas never considered themselves heroines or that they were on a journey to “change the world.”  They simply followed their passion.

They added a spark to individual lives and communities. They gave a voice to the underdog. They gave hope. They cared for others beyond reason. They refused to be quiet when their voice had to be heard. They caused controversy. They fought for justice. They valued education.

They were strong and sure of their mission—being a woman was just a perk.