Mónica Leitner-Laserna is a bilingual educator, herbalist, chef and business owner of Colombian and Jewish heritage, who for the past several years has been committed to promoting social justice through teaching about the relationship between diet and disease and how to use food as medicine. She holds a master’s degree in bilingual education from Columbia University and has also studied herbalism, yoga and meditation, all of which have greatly influenced her mission of spreading holistic health and wellness. She co-founded Eastie Farm in 2015 and loves bringing people to the farm to learn about their work, the importance of local food and environmental justice. She also was one of the founders of the Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (CCDS) in 2015, and currently teaches and does consulting work for Self-Esteem Boston, a local nonprofit that works to promote and teach healthy self-esteem.

As an Elementary and Early Childhood Educator, I value creating an environment that promotes engaged and enthusiastic learners, teaches from a perspective that centers youth, acknowledges their intelligence as valuable and promotes self-expression. As a black women raised in Roxbury and in a world that is facing an environmental, social and economic crisis, I strongly believe in the importance of being committed to social justice, teaching our children to be in community and collaboration and promoting values of oneness vs individuality. In addition to my committed focus to education, I also hold a longtime commitment to yoga and meditation. I am drawn to these practices because they are built upon a foundation of our connectedness. As a culture, it is important that we reintegrate that knowledge in how we treat and value one another and our planet for us to move closer to a more loving and compassionate planet.