Volunteer

 Volunteering with Brillantes Caminantes provides the chance to collaborate with others from the Guanajuato community, as well as the opportunity to meet our outstanding students and help them to succeed.

Our Annual Pastorela Fundraiser

MEET SOME OF OUR VOLUNTEERS

Silvia Salas Carreón and 
Juan José Prado Viramontes

Twelve years ago, Juan José volunteered to come to a Student meeting to talk about public speaking with our very shy students. He was funny, and they loved him. He then got the idea of them acting in a Pastorela to get them involved with each other and to give something back to the organization. Every year since then, the Pastorela Christmas play has been written and directed by Juan José, and performed by the current students as the major fundraiser for Brillantes Caminantes. Participating in the Christmas play has helped the students gain self-confidence and the assurance to speak in public. Silvia Salas helps with the Pastorela and also serves on the Student Selection Committee, as well as being a resource for the students’ Mentors. Juan José and Silvia enjoy participating in the organization because they believe that every good student has the right to finish their university degree.

Bill Merrell 

Bill served as a high school Spanish teacher for several years before pursuing legal studies to become an attorney.  He subsequently practiced law in Houston, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee specializing in worker’s compensation claims.  Notably, he was the only Spanish-speaking attorney in this field in Nashville. Bill’s interest in Mexico began with his initial visit during high school; he returned on numerous occasions thereafter. Upon retirement, he chose to relocate to Guanajuato, his preferred Mexican city.  He continues to find fulfillment in serving as a Mentor.

Anna Adams

Anna is a retired professor of Latin American History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, where she taught classes in colonial and modern Latin American history, Latino history, and women’s history. She came to live in Guanajuato in 2007.  She is one of the founders of Brillantes Caminantes and has served as President and Secretary of the association. She is currently a Mentor, chairs the standing committee on Student Selection, and is a member of the Student Affairs committee.  She says, “Brillantes has provided me with the opportunity to continue working with university students, to have an entry into my adopted community, and to give something back to that community.”

Carolyn Black

Before moving to Guanajuato in 2018, Carolyn worked as an accountant for construction companies in Hawaii and California. She learned about BC from her friend, David Spencer, and offered to share her accounting skills with the association in 2019. Shortly thereafter, she transitioned BC’s accounting to a double-entry system compliant with GAAP, which made it possible to integrate and consolidate the association’s financial data from both Mexican and U.S. accounts. After producing the quarterly and annual reports for 18 months, Carolyn became a member in 2021. She is currently on the Board of Directors and serves as Treasurer of the organization. 

David Spencer

After a long career in the Performing Arts, David decided to retire to the country of his birth. Having spent time in northern Mexico as a child, he chose Guanajuato as his new home. David spent several years serving on the Board of Brillantes and has continued to volunteer as a Mentor. David has a huge adopted family of Brillantes graduates and is beloved by all.