Get to Know Living Arts' Newest Board Member

Living Arts Board Member Cintia Pugliese.

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and at 13 years of age moved to Michigan with my family, since my dad was offered a job at Ford Motor Company.  While his initial offer was for a 3-year assignment, it eventually got extended until he officially retired from the company a few years ago.

My family and I have learned so many life skills from this major life adjustment, including, but not limited to, resilience, strength, patience, and perseverance. We also have formed and developed an unbreakable bond as a family unit that I feel is so strong because of all the obstacles we had to overcome at both the individual and collective level as a family unit.

From a young age, I knew I wanted to do something related to teaching but I also enjoyed the analytical side of things, which made it perplexing when it was time to choose a major.  After some consideration, I chose to major in Psychology at Oakland University and graduated in 2002.

I started working full-time when I was fairly young, at 19 years of age.  I learned so much from having a full-time career and going to school at night, such as discipline, accountability and responsibility.

As far as work experience goes, I have experience in purchasing, such as conducting purchase orders, bidding processes, managing supplier relationships, preparing documents for customs, and communicating with customers.  As a Spanish instructor/tutor, I have experience teaching to individuals as well as to groups, preparing lesson plans, and giving individualized homework. It is so fulfilling to watch my students’ progress and help them along the way.

As a proud mom of a 14-year old son (Jack), I knew I wanted to get involved and make a positive impact in children’s lives, so when my friend Anne Osmer introduced me to Living Arts, I felt that was perfect timing to get involved and help a great cause.  I’m looking forward to helping our youth with this wonderful organization.