Background, Education & Heritage

Roots, rigor, and reclamation

Born on Manahatta island, Lenapehoking, to an Ecuadorian mother and a Colombian father, Yura is of Indigenous Kichwa descent and holds Ecuadorian and Colombian citizenship. Their path weaves institutional training with indigenous wisdom: a BFA from Boston University and an MFA from CUNY Brooklyn College, followed by continuing studies at Harvard Business School, alongside the language and lineage that ground the work.

The Name

At 24, during a ritual exercise with an elder, Yura received their Kichwa name: yura means tree or plant, and sapi means roots: "tree roots." It embodies a deep-rooted connection to the Earth, particularly trees and plants, and a calling to reconnect with ancestral ways of being. In 2021, Yura moved to Nuquí in Chocó, Colombia, immersing in ancestral practices, land-based healing, and a more sustainable way of living.

Yura Sapi with hands joined beside a tree in the forest

Education

Degrees, classical training, and continuing studies

Graduate degree
MFA, Performing Arts Management
CUNY Brooklyn College
Graduate training in producing and leading arts organizations, which now shapes how LiberArte is built.
Undergraduate degree
BFA, Theatre Arts
Boston University
Conservatory grounding in performance and craft.
Continuing education
Harvard Business School
Courses in Accounting, Analytics & Economics and Power & Influence for Positive Impact
Executive studies taken after the degrees, adding financial and analytical discipline and the ethical use of power in mission-driven institutions.
Classical training
LAMDA
London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art

Languages

EnglishFluent
SpanishFluent
KichwaReclaiming

Reclaiming Kichwa, the indigenous language of the Andes, is an act of heritage, healing, and belonging.

Curriculum VitaeDownload the full CV / résumé