The Head UnMaker’s mission

I’m Veronica, Head Box UnMaker at UnMaking Boxes. I started this movement because every time I listened to or read the news, I was bombarded with stories of people deeply hating each other without even knowing each other. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to start something that purposefully builds love and understanding? My mission is to create and support projects and stories that incite curiosity, communication, compassion, connection, and creativity.

What does unmaking boxes mean to me?

All my life, despite who I was at the time (note: I’m an ever-changing and growing being), people sought to put me in a box in order to understand me. “You are Haitian. You are black. You are athletic. You are female. You are selfless.” Any actions that contradicted their assumptions were met with confusion rather than acceptance. And at the beginning, I played along, and placed myself in these boxes in order to be understood.

But there was always a disconnect. There was always something off when I tried to solidify who I was. I was more than my ethnic country, or my nationality, I was just as much into the arts, as I was into sports. I was into theater as much as I was into mathematics. I loved writing, I loved designing. I loved music and dancing, just as much as I loved reading and board games. I gave myself permission to explore and enjoy all my passions and hobbies. I gave myself permission to stay curious.

Boxes cannot contain plurality

In college, I studied Arts and Letters with a special focus in film production. In university, I chose to study Communications, which entailed communications and media theory, visual communications, public relations, writing, audio production, television production, and film production. After university, I studied Graphic Design. Some time later, I studied Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I’ve been an avid learner of leadership, public speaking, literature, novel writing, poetry, theater, marketing, and more.

All this to say, the wide range of tools in my toolbox, has not only allowed me to offer new out-of-the-box perspectives to every project I tackle, but it has always allowed me to see beyond the “box,” and to connect with peers in a more meaningful way.

I love sharing my knowledge and experience. And through UnMaking Boxes, I look forward to connecting with so many new wonderful souls, and supporting their growth as they start or continue their journey of unmaking their box and creating their own adventure.