Kristina Maria Lopez

Project: Writing a memoir and developing a workshop series that investigates the psychological and spiritual toll of gentrification in New York City. Through narrative, mindfulness-based workshops, and community engagement, the project seeks to preserve neighborhood memory and protect the emotional lives of those most impacted by housing injustice in Harlem and Morningside Heights, specifically Black and Latina women, a demographic disproportionately affected by housing insecurity nationwide often due to their roles as caregivers at home.

Kristina Maria Lopez is a creative strategist, mindfulness practitioner, and third­ generation Caribbean American born and raised in Morningside Heights. With a professional background spanning the arts, wellness, and nonprofit sectors, she currently leads Event Marketing Strategy at New York Road Runners, where she crafts inclusive campaigns that build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running. She is also a certified meditation teacher and end-of­ life doula with over 500 hours of training, offering trauma-informed care for those navigating grief, displacement, and generational trauma.

Lopez's community work includes volunteering as a co-captain with Harlem Run, a voting member of her local community board, and the inaugural co-lead of her workplace's Women's Employee Resource Group. She was a 2021-2022 Senior Fellow in the Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy at the Interfaith Center of New York, where she developed a community-based deathcare educational resource. A two-time alum of Hunter College, CUNY, she holds both a BFA and MFA in Studio Art and brings a creative, interdisciplinary lens to advocacy and storytelling.