Staff Spotlight: Marina C
Each month, we feature one of the incredible staff members who help make the magic happen at ACR. This month, it’s Reuse Specialist Marina C! When Marina first joined the ACR team a year ago, she spent her weekdays working full-time, and somehow managed to find the energy to work at ACR every weekend! She is a powerhouse in our donations processing area, tirelessly working to get materials sorted, priced, and into your hands. Read more about Marina below and see her tutorial for a DIY Micro-Landscape. How did you find Austin Creative Reuse?One of my housemates from the affordable housing cooperative I used to live in recommended I drop off my craft supplies to Austin Creative Reuse a few years ago when I moved out and the rest is history! What’s your favorite part about working at ACR?Cultivating relationships with my colleagues and the Austin community. Exploring donation mountain by sorting and processing items is also a highlight. Are you an artist, crafter, or maker? What mediums do you work with?I’m an impulsive crafter and late-night gardener. My favorite mediums are modifying found objects, sketching/doodling plants, and botany. What do you do when you’re not working at ACR?Rest and recharge. Propagate plants to share with friends, family, and neighbors! I also enjoy participating in local clothing + plant swaps. What’s the craziest thing you found in donation mountain?I wouldn’t call it crazy, but there is a surprising amount of personal items, letters, and documents that are donated. One of my favorite finds was a series of love letters between three pen pals with a great sense of humor from the 1970s.
About Marina:
Throughout her childhood growing up near citrus fields in the Rio Grande Valley, Marina learned to appreciate the transborder landscape, food, and botany of South Texas. Her Grandma taught her how to be crafty, sew, and cultivate a sustainable garden while also embarking on spontaneous cooking adventures in her kitchen – one of her favorite quotes she references states how “necessity is the mother of invention” and she still applies that sentiment to her daily life. A few years ago she uprooted from South Texas and set up camp in Austin to pursue an International Nutrition degree at UT, which led her on a journey eventually joining the ACR team!