Today we’d like to introduce you to Roselia Banuelos.
Hi Roselia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, also known as “La Ciudad de Las Fresas” (The City of Strawberries). My father (who rests in peace) was a migrant worker and farmer, among many other things. Above all, an exceptional and hardworking father. His connection to the land is something that has resonated deeply in my life and continues to impact what I choose to spend my time in. He passed in 2019 yet, given our current political climate, his memories and teachings are louder than ever. He often traveled back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico and would be away from his family intermittently, sometimes up to two years. When I was seven years old, he decided to make his dream of migrating with his family to the land of opportunity come true. My oldest sister stayed behind because she had started a family in Irapuato, but my mother and eight other siblings joined our father in the land of opportunity. If you’d like the details on how we migrated in 1995, we may have to do an extended interview because that voyage is a novel all on its own. We settled in a northwest suburb of Chicago and shared a mostly peaceful life until I went away to college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I say mostly peaceful because the hardships that large migrant families face are many, and we were not strangers to them. The sustained economic hardship and various forms of domestic abuse always had me questioning why people do what they do. I remember sitting in my first psychology class, junior year of high school, and thinking that psychology would be the career that could answer this persistent curiosity. Why do people do what they do? Especially those who harm others?
I thought I’d get closer to the answer after receiving my Bachelor’s in Psychology from UIUC, spending time in Peace Corps Mozambique (2009 – 2011), and being a qualified mental health professional with Spanish-speaking children and families for a decade. I thought a career in psychology would allow me to see how we are coming up with solutions that ensure that we are all taken care of on all levels. I thought I’d get to see how we all take care of each other, so those who harm do it less. I know, how idealistic. Alas, that wasn’t the case, and I soon grew heavy with the horror stories I’d hear from my clients, especially the children in the foster care system. I grew tired of seeing how the solution was maintained “healthcare.”
Further, I arrived in Houston in 2016 with my now ex and father to my daughter. Maybe the pressure of the city was too much because soon after we separated. Shortly after that, my job ( a child placement agency) let me go because they were letting everybody go; things were falling apart. The way the foster care system and placement agencies function continues to baffle me to this day. I can honestly say that it was only through the grace of God that I survived 2017 – 2019. At that time, I didn’t have family in Houston, and the separation had not been favorable for me. However, the hardships I survived during that time truly restored my belief in God. He showed up time and time again. Shameless plug – although I am not religious, I am an avid believer that God hears and answers prayers and is there when we intend to connect. Not only did I make it through what seemed like hell I decided to go back to college to complete my Master’s in Social Work at the University of Houston ( Go COOGS!) after a chance meeting with someone who was getting her PhD in the same college (Graduate College of Social Work ). She mentioned how well-ranked the program was and hearing her passion for what she was working on, I was hooked. I love education, it has always served to remind me of the power of my mind and how our perspective is directly impacted by what we allow in.
I was also ready to continue the voyage toward the answer to my question, “Why do people do what they do? Especially those who harm others?” I figured understanding systems, politics, research and the overall development and functions of our society would get me closer (shout out to social work). Psychology showed me how the mind can be impacted through trauma and cause specific behaviors and I was looking forward to seeing the mind and society through the lens of Social Work. After graduating in 2022, I tried working in a couple of agencies and startups, and was always left wanting more. I saw that our solutions were not sustainable or that the agency was just another way for the manager’s ego to show up. Also, I did quite a bit of research on the fact that Houston is the number one hub for human trafficking and the connection that technology has to human trafficking, so I couldn’t – metaphorically speaking – sit still. Remember, I have a daughter who is now twelve. As a mother, I had to be aware. Did you know that if a child is sexualized (can be by seeing something or experiencing abuse) before the prefrontal cortex develops, which is during adolescence, it will cause the prefrontal cortex to decay? Anne Marie McAlinden, who wrote Children as Risk delves further into this. The prefrontal cortex is known to be the higher-order association center of the brain as it is responsible for decision-making, reasoning, personality, maintaining social appropriateness, and other complex cognitive behavior. When I research, I tend to go all the way down the rabbit hole. I would never be able to stop thinking of all that I saw in this particular rabbit hole. The human trafficking in Houston one.
This research led me to realize that I needed to create something because what I was looking for didn’t exist. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it would involve technology and children. I thought that it would be a video game or technology specifically for children, but it’s more of a technology-enabled space where one can remember the joys of thinking and playing like a child. A mind of curiosity and excitement. After much deliberation with my co-founder (Benjamin Camarata, in the pictures with me), we landed on creating tech-enabled mobile spaces that make safe, digital co-creation possible for all. In my main picture, I’m sitting inside of our current prototype and the others show our space in different ways and amazing views of our location. What we’re creating is essentially a photo booth, but for co-creative video productions. Right now, we are mostly working with video podcasts as the co-creative experience and are continuing to grow. The hope is that we all remember the joys of safely playing together in the same space, of maybe making eye contact, and experiencing being social beings. Our brains need to be around other humans to develop. Creatopia Inc. is now operating out of Downtown Houston at Invincible Spaces and we are so looking forward to what is ahead of us! We’re looking forward to many years of activating, advocating, and amplifying social impact narratives. I think I’m getting closer to figuring out why people do what they do, but then again, it doesn’t seem to matter anymore now that we are creating a solution that could change the world as we know it. I do believe that our innovation will make “technology as a force for good” a movement and a revolution all at once. Come join us and happy co-creating!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth at all. My story shares all of my struggles. Without going into details, I have seen it all, and it’s because of what I’ve experienced as a migrant Latina and single mother in a big city like Houston that I continue to do what I do. I don’t regret anything and am grateful for all the lessons I learned along the way. I now know that each challenge prepared me for who I am today. I know that I needed to see things a specific way to be charged the way I am now. Everyday. This growth has left an insatiable thirst for true change and restoration. I know that struggles are a common facet of life, and now understand why everything had to happen the way it did. I truly have nothing but gratitude for all (situations or people) who helped facilitate those lessons.
We’ve been impressed with Creatopia Inc. , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As I mentioned in my story, Creatopia Inc. is now operating out of Downtown Houston at Invincible Spaces. We are a Houston-based technology startup focused on creating tech-enabled spaces for co-creation. We also raise awareness about the benefits of creativity, play, and safe spaces. We seek to collaborate with entrepreneurs, founders & creatives to ACTIVATE, ADVOCATE, AND AMPLIFY their stories through tech-enabled co-creativity. Our motto is, “we turn your thought leadership into a content calendar.” We aid in the pre-production to post-production of brand-centered recordings and pride ourselves in maintaining co-creation as a driving force in everything we do. We work with anyone who has a story to share and needs co-creators. We plan, record, and post-produce so there is enough regular video content (long and short form) for your business to start being noticed online enough to significantly increase your sales. This is our current service; we are also continuing to develop our technology so our clients can have varied co-creative experiences to choose from while staying true to their brand and business narrative. Also, we’re working on our modular production studio so anyone can experience tech-enabled co-creation anywhere. We have partnered with Clarity Castle for our first iteration of what the modular studio can look like; you can see the castle in the pictures.
www.creatopiainc.com
Looking forward to co-creating!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned has been to honor my truth and believe in myself no matter who is telling me to do things a different way. So many times I thought life had to look a certain way, but it was never my way. Now, it is.
Essentially, the lesson can be summarized by both “Know Thyself” and “Just Do It.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.creatopiainc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatopiainc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creatopia-inc/
Image Credits
Photographer Miguelangel Dorta from Malamen Media Collective
