Staff Profile for Andrés Castillo
by Jennifer Svetlik
“I like journalism, writing, and helping people from different backgrounds share their stories,” reflects Andrés Castillo, Intercultural Communication Associate for Mosaic Conference. “Stories are a way of sharing what the Conference does, even in the midst of differing perspectives and beliefs. Working for Mosaic Conference allows me to be a part of the challenging work of holding together these various perspectives.”
Andrés officially began his new Mosaic role, part-time, in November 2023. Prior, he had been working off and on for Mosaic conference since 2019. His role will expand to a full-time, one-year position in January 2024.
In this role, Andrés is writing newsletter articles, making updates to the job postings and announcements page, responding to the Mosaic office email account, and greeting and supporting those who visit the Mosaic office in Lansdale, PA. As part of the Intercultural and Communication teams, he has recently been participating in Conference-related events and reporting on them in Spanish.
“It is rewarding to hear many different stories and viewpoints, and also be able to practice Spanish and Russian,” Andrés shares. He is also looking forward to planning events with the Intercultural team that involve not only sharing food, but also exhibiting art and music from various cultures.
Andrés really enjoys providing Spanish-English translation for Mosaic’s communication, whether long reports or brief announcements. Prior to coming on staff with Mosaic, he worked for a translation and linguistic quality control company as a translation project manager. This prior experience helps Andrés understand the needs of each translation job.
Andrés has the distinction of currently being the only member of Gen Z on the Mosaic staff. “Working for Mosaic in my 20s seemed interesting because I’d be the only person of my generation on staff, and I think and act differently because of the perspective my life experience provides,” Andrés reflects. “I think having someone from my generation is a benefit and challenge at the same time, because my generation is an angry one, and we prioritize different things than the older generations.”
Andrés grew up in Norristown (PA) and now lives in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania with BA degrees in Spanish and Russian language. He attends Methacton congregation (Norristown, PA) with his grandparents. He appreciates that the congregation is very accepting, and also enjoys the open sharing time during the second hour after worship.
In addition to the English, Spanish, and Russian he knows, Andrés is casually studying Polish these days in preparation for an upcoming trip to Poland and Slovakia. He hopes to eventually learn Arabic.
He enjoys practicing mixed martial arts, playing video games, exploring Philadelphia, and going to the gym. He plays guitar, bass, and drums and enjoys writing and playing music with three hardcore bands comprised of his good friends.
As a cook, Andrés enjoys trying new recipes from other cultures, especially Slavic, Hispanic, Indian, and Southeast Asian cuisine. “But these days, I mostly cook on a budget and eat vegetarian food, sometimes even inventing new vegan creations by accident,” Andrés says. “I eat a lot of chickpeas.”
Jennifer Svetlik
Jennifer is a member of the communication team, helping with editing, writing, and content creation. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family.
