Zulima Wesso
Director - Editor in-chief

A prominent figure in the Hispanic community and in the Niagara Region, Zulima was selected as one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants for the year 2011 by Canadian Immigrant magazine for her contributions to Canada.
Originally from Columbia Zulima used her optimistic personality and inability to be bored and took multimedia and web design courses and began doing graphic design work pro-bono for Canal Magazine when she was a recent immigrant to Canada.

Little did she know that the magazine publishing experience she was gaining would come in quite handy in the years to come. When her twins began speaking, Zulima and her husband realized that there were not many resources to aid parents in rearing bilingual children. So the idea for kiddo Magazine was born. Her human children love their non-human sibling, this magazine. Zulima embraces this project as “the most beautiful project she has ever worked on, because it helps us keep alive the children we have inside.” Zulima studied both interior design and architecture. She uses both this knowledge and her sweet nature to design the wonderful world of Kiddo. She keeps the magazine alive and is always researching and reading about instructional methods for children, inventing games, and seeking out talented staff in order to keep Kiddo  fresh and vibrant.  And she is also the boss, the person that directs all of the staff.

Luis Eduardo Molina
Spanish Editor

Luis was born in Colombia and has a University degree in Spanish literature from  Columbia’s Universidad del Valle and a Master’s degree in Hispano-American languages from the University of Ottawa. But he’s  not stopping there! He is currently finishing a doctorate degree at the University of Ottawa, where he also teaches Spanish part-time. Luis is conducting a research projects about narrations from Colombia, Mexico and Spain. He is also a visual artist and his research papers have been published several times by Hybrido, the periodical of  the Graduate School and University Center of the City of New York, as well as by Espéculo, a magazine published by the Complutense University in Spain. Luis also co-wrote a published novel called La sucursal del cielo (The Heaven’s Branch). He has written several other novels and stories, with one of them in the process of translation into English for publication by the University of Ottawa Press.

Mary Chapman
English Editor

The newest member of our team, Mary joined Kiddo in December 2011as our English copy-editor. She is responsible for the print and online versions of Kiddo Magazine as well as the other web content on our website. Mary was born in Guatemala but completed all her education in Canada. She always knew she would pursue a career in publishing and so she set out to complete a Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Publishing from Ryerson University. At Ryerson she focused on editing, grammar and communication courses. Mary loves to take written documents and polish and perfect them. She has a keen eye for detail and happily contemplates choosing the perfect word for minutes at a time! She is the owner of a freelance editing service, Editors Canada. She offers meticulous editing services to individuals and businesses alike. You can visit her website at www.editorscanada.com. As if that didn’t keep her busy enough, she is also a full-time mother to two energetic children, a girl and a baby boy.

Ricardo Alarcón
Art Director

As our chief designer Ricardo   makes sure all the drawings, illustrations and visual concepts of Kiddo Magazine are in place. His working hours are not regular office hours. Ricardo spends an undisclosed amount of time in front of a Go Green graphic, the cover, and changing and devising wonderful and colourful ideas for the magazine. He was born in Colombia and later became a Canadian Citizen. Ricardo went to university to learn how to design buildings and uses his education on symmetry, beauty and colour every day. Every page of Kiddo Magazine is first created in his mind and as a result, we can see the undeniable beauty of this wonderful project that combines professionalism, passion and love on every page created.

Regina Garza
Spanish Proofreading
Contributing Writer

As an internationally published writer, Regina is a welcome addition to Kiddo Magazine. Born in Mexico, she studied writing at the Writers School of Mexico and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English from the Universidad de Quintana Roo. She has also attended many professional workshops in poetry, stories, journalism, radio broadcasting and storytelling. She has received many awards for her written pieces and the scope of her work centers on improving the communities. Regina’s work has been extensively published in newspapers, academic and cultural magazines, in Mexico, the United States and Canada. She has been editor and journalist for many organizations and has also taught literature and mentored youth in hopes of encouraging reading.

Juan Correa
Illustrator

Responsible for all the team caricatures you see on this page, Juan creates images with a passion that is contagious.A professional artist by trade.  he draws a lot of the animations you see on Kiddo Magazine. He is inspired by those unanimated creatures that are alive in his mind and come alive in our world once he materializes them on paper with his powerful expression. In Juan’s capable hands Kiddo’s newest hero Kaptain Leaf is brought to life.

Ylana Luigi
Illustrator

Tool in hand, Ylana creates drawings of everything she sees. Born in Venezuela and on her way to becoming a Canadian citizen, her work involves every tool that help her create a visual expression of the world she sees. Therefore, you will see her work in pencil, charcoal, chalk pastel, oil pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylics. She also creates drawings that are then printed in beautiful magazines such
Ylana has a passion for teaching and pursued a teaching degree. . She currently helps teachers in elementary and middle schools.

Alexander Erazo
Contributing Writer
Webmaster

As an experienced computer programmer, Alex writes code that creates amazing programs. He also has a vast knowledge in the development of web systems and networks. That same passion has been put into the stories he writes for Kiddo;  .  his writings have been a welcome addition to our magazine.  Alex has a great ability to weave words. His stories stimulate and engage readers of all ages. Originally from Ibarra, Ecuador, Alex came to Canada at the age of 21. He has been immersed in the Canadian culture for more than 16 years, nevertheless, his roots are strong.  Through Kiddo, he has  found a special way to share the teachings of his parents and grandparents, as well as the stories of growing up in a South American country, with his beloved daughter.

Camila Uriona
Marketing and Communication
Contributing Writer

Our marketing and communication specialist  brings her strong background in research, combined with her wonderful creative thinking abilities to Kiddo Magazine. Camila was born in Bolivia where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Communication at the Universidad Católica de Bolivia. She is fluent in English and Spanish with some knowledge of German and Italian. Her innate curiosity takes her to study consumer behavior, products, brands and organizational communication. Once she completes this type of research, she uses the information to create strategies and tactics that help the organizations she work with. Her skills are used in different communication materials and marketing projects including advertising.

Scarlet Estrada
Public Relations

Prior to cutting her first birthday cake, people would be surprised that Scarlet could articulate long conversations from her stroller when she wasn’t even able to walk yet. Scarlet, born in Venezuela, decided to express her feelings and thoughts in public early in her life. She completed her first impromptu speech to a large audience at the tender age of 4 during a religious public performance. It was clear then that she liked talking and forming new relations. With that background, a wealth of experience, combined with inner curiosity, a passion for multiculturalism, and a recent graduate degree in Corporate Communications, Scarlet expertly coordinates Public Relations for Kiddo Magazine.