America Jimenez de Lara

America Jimenez de Lara

America Jimenez

America Jimenez de Lara, GFAA Art Liaison

A native of Mexico, and former chess champion of her country, America F. Jimenez de Lara is a fine artist; and an advocate for educational and cultural causes. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

America graduated with honors from U.C. Berkeley, where she received a BA in Arts, majoring in the Practice of Fine Art. While at U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, America co-designed a class under the tutelage of Professor Richard Shaw, titled “Art for the non-Art majors”. The purpose of the class was to prove that all people are creative. The class proved to be a great success which then inspired her to establish an Art Group called “The Creative Minds”.

The group provides a bridge for students, faculty, and alumni to learn from each other and form a community. America was an active member in other organizations on campus and dedicated much of her time to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. As Chapter Vice President, she helped Latino parents and students at local schools to inform them of the opportunities for scholarships in pursuit of higher education.

For several years after graduation, America worked in banking while acquiring a degree in Child Development. In 2012, she left the corporate world to pursue her passion as an artist and continue her advocacy for education and culture- creating a company, Global America, which promotes a “Cultural Renaissance”. Her company recently merged with CandleLight forming a Gallery and Studio to develop stronger growth and impact in the arts.

She belongs to different Latino organizations in the Bay Area, including Community Liaison Board Member of the UC Berkeley Chicano Latino Alumni Association, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Alumni Mentor Program, LAM Latin American Media, Las Comadres, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County and ALPFA.