María Cristina Sabourin Jovel aka Queen María (she/her)
Ottawa, Ontario

Queen María started her journey as a WCC volunteer facilitator in June 2021.

She founded and has, for over three years, facilitated the open weekly BIPOC community writing workshop on Sundays. Queen María also facilitates other BIPOC and ACB workshops, LGBTQ2S+ workshops, and facilitates with partners Centretown Community Health Centre, Somerset Community Health Centre, and Mood Disorders Ottawa.

Describing her experience as a writer and facilitator, Queen María tells us, “writing became extremely healing for me. As a facilitator for BIPOC, ACB, LGBTQ2S+, and disability specific workshops, I have been able to create courageous spaces for us, and to contribute to a sense of community within our participants. Deep connections flourish for we all are equally brave together.”

Queen María is a proud Cuban-Salvadorian-Canadian, and she holds a M.Sc in Mathematics and Physics from Jarkiv University in Ukraine, as well as a M.A. in Economics from Carelton University in Ottawa, Canada. She spent nearly two decades teaching in higher education.

Outside of volunteering, consulting, and her advocacy work, Queen María is an aunt to four precious nephews and nieces. She describes herself as an eternal student thirsty for knowledge with a loud, passionate voice against injustices, racism, ableism, and fatphobia. She loves to paint, draw, zentangle, nourish her many plants and flowers, and enjoy the warm sun.