Our Impact
Saqil (Sah-keel), a Mayan word, means “enlightenment” or “empowerment.” By naming our organization Saqil, we emphasize books and education as the key to empowering the next generation of changemakers. As a youth-led organization, we will support leaders through youth-led initiatives and fundraising efforts. Our libraries and scholarships will encourage the students and community members to nurture curiosities and foster deeper exploration in a wide variety of fields.
Our logo, designed by our COO Kathryn McElvany, symbolizes the roots and motivation of our mission. A book takes front and center in our logo, showing the unchanging core of our mission to support education. The cover of that book has a maize, sacred in Mayan culture and said to be the material from which the gods created the first humans. Here, we pay tribute to the Mayan school that inspired the creation of Saqil. Finally, behind the book, we have illuminating rays of sun. These signify both the ability of books to enlighten human minds, and the power that books give to those who possess them, hence the name Saqil.
Officers
Mariano López Del Río
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Mariano López Del Río is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saqil Foundation since March 2025. Mariano was responsible for incorporating and establishing the foundation, as well as planning the beginning of Saqil. Currently, he is responsible for management, administration, and fundraising. Mariano became inspired to create Saqil after a volunteering and then fieldwork experience in Guatemala where he met bright students who lacked access to books. He is a Mexico native, who moved to the U.S in 2017. He attended County College of Morris in New Jersey and plans to continue pursuing a degree in Psychology and Anthropology.
Kathryn McElvany
Chief Operating Officer
Kathryn McElvany is the Chief Operating Officer of Saqil Foundation since March 2025. She is responsible for establishing and maintaining foundational documents and other materials such as the branding and marketing, website creation and design, the Instagram account, financial tracking documents, etc. She previously was the Coordinator for the Community Connections Committe for Worldhealer, Inc. from January 2024 to January 2025, which is another nonprofit that focuses on supporting education for children and adolescents. Currently, she is an undergraduate student at Barnard College working towards her BA in Psychology and Human Rights and plans to graduate in 2027.
Nico Garland
Outreach Officer
Nicolás Garland is an Outreach Officer of Saqil Foundation since March 2025. He is responsible for creating and executing fundraising campaigns. Previously serving as an ESL tutor for 4 years, this helped teach Nico the skills and nuances of both language and teaching. He is a native Spanish speaker of Peruvian-Chilean ancestry, and he is currently at Penn State University working towards a degree in Political Science.
Isaac Ruíz
Outreach Officer
Isaac Ruiz is an Outreach Officer of Saqil Foundation since March 2025. He is responsible for planning and executing fundraising campaigns. He is of Peruvian and Nicaraguan heritage and is a passionate advocate for the Hispanic community. Isaac is actively involved in several organizations that support and uplift Latino voices across the United States. As a member of the Latino community, he brings a lot of energy and experience to Saqil Foundation. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business with minors in International Relations and Spanish at Drew University where he plans to graduate in 2028
Lorena Coronado Angulo
Administrative Assistant
Lorena Coronado Angulo is the Administrative Assistant of Saqil Foundation since August 2025. She is responsible for administrative tasks and ensuring the smooth organization of the foundation. She was a volunteer for Kids in Nutrition, which teaches elementary students the importance of nutrition, and an intern for the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, a nonprofit focusing on educational outreach. She is a native Spanish speaker of Mexican descent, and is currently at UC Santa Barbara studying Environmental Studies and Art/Architectural History.
Marcia Alferez
Member
Marcia Alferez attends the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in Biology. She is passionate about health equity and hope to become a healthcare professional working in underserved communities abroad. She is fluent in Spanish and come from Salvadoran ancestry, which has shaped her commitment to advocating for increased access to both healthcare and education in underrepresented populations. She has interned with Kaiser Permanente and UCLA Medical School, where she gained valuable clinical experience and deepened my dedication to serving others. As a member of Saqil Foundation, she supports language accessibility by translating the organization’s materials from English to Spanish, helping ensure that critical information is available to Spanish-speaking populations.