Today we’d like to introduce you to Sienna Encarnacion.
Hi Sienna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a military brat born in Landstuhl, Germany. After high school abruptly and unceremoniously ended for me, I was unsure of my skills and what kind of professional life I wanted to lead. I waitressed for about a year, which helped me rediscover my passion for people and hearing their stories. At that point in my journey, I was looking to understand what really inspired me. I knew I could excel at anything, but I wanted it to be something that made a positive impact on others.
Looking for something more, I accepted an executive assistant position under a local non-profit founder and city council candidate. It was a short gig, but that opportunity opened my eyes to the amazing world of non-profits, community organizing, and advocacy. I have my own lived experiences with generational poverty and other issues, but until that point, I had no idea there were so many ways to make a difference.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work within organizations like CitySquare, North Texas Food Bank, and Children’s Health. In my new role, I get promote health access and education through an equity lens. It blows my mind that in Dallas, you can have a lavish brunch 1000ft away from an overcrowded shelter or ER. I really hope to see things improve for all neighbors in Dallas, so it’s promising to see more young people of color leading in this space. The inspiration that I feel from hearing the stories of all the people I work with every day is so overwhelming. Right now, I am definitely in a season of learning and being present in the community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have definitely been times when I started to doubt what I was doing mattered. I’m passionate about this work, and my brain runs wild with ideas for programs and partnerships. But sometimes within organizations, metrics and stakeholder interests can cloud the mission. My motto: programs should come from communities, not to communities. Performative non-profit work caused me to have burnout for some time.
I also have to acknowledge that taking the leap to seek out a role within a new organization can be… an experience. Feeling out of place and burnt out while receiving rejection email after rejection email for months. That was a very emotional and spiritual time for me. Although I knew that the right opportunity would find me, I couldn’t understand why no one could see me as a ‘good fit’. After I decided to shift my energy into developing and networking instead of obsessing about finding a new role, the perfect offer fell into my lap, and the rest is history.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
You can refer to me as a non-profit professional or community organizer. Although I’ve worked in different types of organizations, I specialize in food pantries and hunger relief programs. From campaigns, voter registration, homelessness services, food distributions, out-of-school programs, and healthcare systems – I’ve done a bit of everything. My proudest work is any chance I get to give back with my family. The small coat drives and angel adoptions that we organize as a family every year always remind me of why I started on this journey.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
You should never have tunnel vision when it comes to making professional connections! You can learn and grow with different people from all professions. We rise by lifting others, so show up for people who pour into you and open up to people who are just starting out.
