Some of the best connections happen when you least expect them.
Last fall I met Pilar Lombana at the MVCC ThINCubator. I was there for a meeting when we crossed paths. We got to talking, and when she mentioned she ran a nonprofit, something in me lit up.
I hold a Master’s in Photography from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and I’ve spent years teaching. I’ve been an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and right here at Mohawk Valley Community College. I’ve taught photography and video storytelling at the graduate and undergraduate level and led workshops for college students in a lot of different settings. One of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done was work as a Teaching Artist with Pablove Shutterbugs at Stony Brook, a program that gives children living with cancer a creative voice through photography. Years ago I had planned to start a nonprofit around teaching young people. Then my husband passed away and that dream got set aside.
But the idea never really left me.
So I pitched it to Pilar right there on the spot. She listened, really listened, and something clicked.
Pilar is the founder and Executive Director of ACANEA Community Alliance. The organization is built around the belief that people deserve spaces to grow, reconnect, and step into their fullest potential. Through mindfulness, holistic coaching, and community-centered work, she is doing something really special in the Mohawk Valley.
After a few more conversations we didn’t just stay connected. We built something together.
This summer I’ll be leading the ACANEA Youth Media Lab in partnership with Pilar and ACANEA. Young people in Utica will learn photography, videography, storytelling, and interviewing and then take those skills out into the real world. The program coincides with the Utica Walkathon happening July 11 through 19, 2026 at F.T. Proctor Park. Our students will be right there in the community with cameras in hand, documenting the event, capturing stories, and bringing it all to life through photos and video.
This is the kind of program that changes trajectories. And it needs community support to make it happen.
📣 Interested in sponsoring the ACANEA Youth Media Lab? Reach out to Pilar Lombana at ACANEA Community Alliance and help us give Mohawk Valley youth the tools to tell their own stories.
📍 F.T. Proctor Park, Utica, NY 📅 July 11 through 19, 2026
Pilar, I’m so grateful our paths crossed