Quizayra is a writer and educator working at the intersections of art, education, and college access. She writes stories that explore notions of belonging and placemaking with an emphasis on the Caribbean and the first-generation experience in the U.S. She has published short stories and essays in various magazines including, La Galeria Magazine, Urban Omnibus, and the Latino Book Review Literary Magazine. Her latest work will be featured in the forthcoming anthology, Ni de aquí, Ni de allá: A Multi-Perspective Account of the Dominican Diasporic Experience. As an educator, Quizayra grounds her work in equity and strives to dismantle the barriers that prevent students from accessing and thriving in college. In her work as a university administrator, Quizayra takes a holistic approach to student support that addresses the social, emotional, and socio-economic barriers to student access and success in colleges.
Quizayra co-founded the curatorial collective, Matters Unsettled, which aims to use the exhibition space as a site of exploration, education, and dissent. The collective’s first exhibition, Crafted Strangers, reflects on the intersecting experiences of Migrant and Indigenous communities through contemporary craft. Crafted Strangers opened at the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design in September 2017. Quizayra is also engaged in various research projects focused on education and community cultural wealth. Quizayra is based in Brooklyn but her heart is in Philadelphia but she’s always daydreaming about D.R.
Quizayra holds an Ed.M. from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, an M.A from Parsons, and a BFA from the University of the Arts.