MAGDALENA GARCIA
Magdalena García is living proof that volunteering can change not just the lives of others, but that of the volunteer. García began her studies at UNO as a business major, taking classes part time while working full time for Northern Gas in a human resources post. After volunteering to help at Omaha’s Joslyn Museum, though, she developed a passion for museums. She changed her major to fine arts, eventually earning a degree in that field in 1988. She later enrolled in Syracuse University’s museum studies program, earning a master’s degree with an emphasis in museum management in 1992. One year later she founded El Museo Latino, one of just 17 Latino museums in the country and the only one between Chicago and Denver. Occupying the former Polish Home cultural center in South Omaha, it has hosted several exhibits of national stature and is extensively involved in the community. An experienced dancer/choreographer in the tradition of Mexican folklórico dances, García also is founder and artistic director of the CHOMARI Ballet Folklórico Mexicano, a teen/young adult dance company performing since 1993.