Part 3: 5 Things You Should Know About PEAK Theatre Arts (And Why They Matter)!

I Refuse to Be a Non-Profit. (I’ve Thought About It. A Lot.) 

People ask me all the time—kindly, with good intentions—when I’m going to turn PEAK into a non-profit. As if it’s the logical next step. As if it will make me more legitimate, or more fundable, or more palatable to the school districts.

And listen—I get the appeal. I’ve worked in non-profits for 10 years. I’ve seen the heart and hustle it takes. I’ve written the grants, sat in staff meetings that felt like meetings about other meetings, filled out the quarterly reports, and the endless “evidence of impact” spreadsheets.

That work is beautiful and important. But I also know what it costs.

Because here’s the thing: running a non-profit often means you’re no longer doing the thing you love. You’re managing it. From a distance. Behind a desk. Behind a computer screen and a deadline looming.

And suddenly you’re chasing funding instead of chasing wonder.

And I didn’t come into this work to fundraise—I came into it to teach. To tell stories. To create art with kids who don’t always get that chance.

Here's one thing you should know about me and PEAK and why it matters.

PEAK Theatre Arts will not become a non-profit. Not because I don’t believe in the mission, but because I do. So much so that I want to stay close to it. I want to be on the floor with the students, not in a corner office filing reports.

And here’s another truth—one that doesn’t get said out loud enough:

I want to own this.

Not in a “boss babe empire” kind of way. In a mother bear kind of way. 

As an Afro-Latina artist who built something from scratch and poured her soul into it kind of way.

PEAK is mine. It has my fingerprints all over it. It was born of my art, my experience, my community, my culture, my voice.

And ownership matters. Especially for women of color. Especially in the arts. Especially in spaces where we’ve been historically underfunded, underseen, and often told to shrink ourselves to fit into someone else's structure. Keeping PEAK independent allows me to stay true to its heartbeat—and mine.

When people choose to work with PEAK, they’re not just buying a program. They’re investing in the arts.

They’re supporting a working artist, a small business, and yes—a family.

We live simply. Humbly. Nobody chooses this path to get rich. We choose it because we want to make an impact. To help kids find their voice. To make the world just a little softer, more creative, more connected.

So no, PEAK isn’t a non-profit. It’s something else. Something quieter. Something small and handmade and full of soul.

It’s a labor of love.