Rocío was born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala and had a career there as an architect and community development consultant before moving to the United States in 2009.  After pursuing advanced degrees in environmental studies in Guatemala and Spain, she worked with disadvantaged communities, primarily indigenous and women’s groups, on a range of issues including community development planning, protected area management, prevention and management of natural disasters, and women’s rights.

Since moving to the United States in 2009, Rocío has specialized in providing bilingual outreach services to the non-profit and education sectors. She has performed recruitment, accompaniment, case work and program coordination at community colleges and a range of non-profit organizations in the Midwest. Here in Bloomington-Normal she has spent the last decade working on behalf of families experiencing domestic violence. Through this work, she collaborated regularly with The Immigration Project. Rocío joined The Immigration Project in November of 2020 as part of the Direct Relief Team providing financial assistance to immigrants affected by the pandemic. She is pleased to continue collaborating with TIP as part of the Welcoming Center in Bloomington-Normal.