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Ibelisse Sánchez, known to most as Mimi, is a social worker, writer, and artist born in Brooklyn and shaped by her Christian faith and Puerto Rican heritage. Raised by her maternal grandparents David and Clara—an expressionist painter and a woman of deep hospitality—they modeled how to live a life of creativity and service. For fifteen years, she cared for them at home through Alzheimer’s and chronic illness, a season that profoundly deepened her faith in God and empathy for the suffering and those who care for them. She holds degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago. After nearly a decade as a social worker facilitating incarcerated individual's reentry into society, she now helps people with disabilities gain greater mobility and independence in their communities. Through her words, art, and presence, Ibelisse seeks to share hope and reflect God’s love. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Merl, a musician and producer.
