Ysabel grew up in a family of schoolteachers in Peru. Her mother died when she was only eleven years old, and her father raised her and her siblings with a passion for the arts and for helping others. While living in Peru, she earned a degree in economics and worked in the taxation department before changing her career path. Inspired by her upbringing, Ysabel volunteered for a non-profit in Peru as a children’s art teacher and started her own creative project, FEMMYSTIC, which combined art and sustainable fashion. After losing her father to COVID-19 she made the decision to move to the United States with her husband and baby. Through the stress of moving to a new country, losing her father, adjusting to motherhood, and working through language barriers, Ysabel found solace in art, education, and family. She started taking classes at the Bridge to College Program at the Cambridge Community Learning Center to prepare for college-level studies. With the scholarship from First Literacy, Ysabel plans to continue her studies at Bunker Hill Community College with pursuit of becoming an art therapist to help others learn how to use art to process hard moments.