How and when did you get involved with ZUMIX?
My connection to ZUMIX started with my younger sister, Esmeralda, also known as Lala. She started going to ZUMIX in middle school. I followed her to ZUMIX one day, and everyone was so welcoming. This was in the old ZUMIX space, and it was small and intimate. Everyone would greet you personally when you walked in. It felt like home.
I hung out at ZUMIX for a while, and my sister eventually convinced me to sign up for some programs. I did Fix-It, and Rock Ed–I sing like a chicken in the oven, but it was a fun experience. I really appreciated how everyone was involved and so encouraging. It felt like a bunch of moms in different shapes and forms, helping me and guiding me. It was absolutely incredible.
One of my core memories from ZUMIX is when my friend Maggie and I created a petition for dance classes. I was 14 or 15 years old at the time. We took our petition to Madeleine and told her, “We need a dance class!” She didn’t knock it – she was honest and encouraging at the same time. She told us, “Maybe one day,” and I mentioned it to her every year until they finally got funds in the new space. And then she asked me to be the teacher for Con La Corriente. I will never forget that.
I like to think that I contributed a little bit to ZUMIX’s legacy, both in the group of students that I was part of, and the group I helped nurture with my babies in my classes. ZUMIX affected my life in a positive way, but even in my teens, I was also able to affect ZUMIX in a positive way. All the alumni have left our stamp on ZUMIX.
I always promised myself that once I was a big girl, and had a big-girl job, I would do what I could to help ZUMIX, because ZUMIX helped me so significantly. My dad was going through some immigration issues, and Madeleine and Nancy said, “Let us know how we can help.” We grew up in the Orient Heights projects, and the ZUMIX staff wanted to make sure we were okay, that we were fed and healthy. They became family. I love that place so much, I really do! My mom still remembers what ZUMIX did for us. It’s full circle when I go to Walk for Music and see my own kids inside the ZUMIX space.
Tell us about your life after ZUMIX.
I’ve taken a different path than most students at ZUMIX. I was heavily influenced by my dad, who has always worked on cars. In the Dominican Republic, he used to drive 18-wheelers, transporting goods across the country. When he came to the U.S., he fixed taxis and owned his own shop on Meridian Street. I always wanted to be a mechanical engineer and work on cars.
I put myself through college, and now I work in construction. I’m the capital project manager at Phillips Academy in Andover. There are always a ton of projects going on: maintaining infrastructure, minor renovations, repairing floors and subfloors. The main goal is to keep the students safe – ensuring that the buildings are safe for them to live, work, bathe, sleep, study in. I want the students at ZUMIX to see that there are a lot of other paths out there.
I was the first one in my family to go to college, and I faked it until I made it. I fell in love with construction. I’m a very hands-on manager. If I need to help out the guys in the field, I do; I grab my tools and get to work.
When the Firehouse was being renovated, I vividly remember Madeleine giving tours. We would take pictures, and I remember telling everyone that this was what I wanted to study in college. Madeleine would always involve me and show me floor plans, and keep me updated on the projects. She was a second mom, helping me figure out if I really wanted to do this. The confidence I gained at ZUMIX helped me bring that confidence in what I do for work now.
How did you get involved with Walk for Music?
I went to numerous Walks as a student, but there’s one that stands out the most. It was the last year we did it in Boston, crossing in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, and ended in a baseball field across the street. I was in high school, and I was able to rally a group of my engineering friends, and we made so much noise. It was so much fun, and it’s my favorite picture of my sister and me. I’m on her back, and we’re having the time of our lives. I had the strong sense that all these people support ZUMIX and love ZUMIX. Everyone loves it no less or no more than the others.
What’s the best part of the Walk itself?
I love that people see a crowd of people dancing to different types of music. They’ll ask what’s going on, and someone will jump out of the crowd and start talking to them about ZUMIX, growing the community that way, through infectious energy. It’s like Eastie’s Mardi Gras – I feel like people should be on their balconies throwing beads!
Why do you Walk for Music?
I walk for music – correction – I dance for music because, at the end of day, it just makes me happy.
Ana Mendez Perez is a ZUMIX alumna and the capital project manager at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. Donate to her Walk for Music page here!
