Staff Civil Engineer, EMI South Africa

Professional Training & Experience

• BS Civil Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 2013
• New York City Transit, 2014-2019
• Port Authority of NY & NJ, 2019-2021

Ministry Experience

In the summer of 2011, through a missions opportunity with her campus church, Tatiana spent two months serving in a mountain village in Peru— an experience that would shape the course of her life. While there, she and her team built meaningful relationships with the local community, taught English in schools, led Bible studies, and immersed themselves in the daily life of the villagers. Tatiana discovered a deep love for evangelism and cross-cultural ministry, and after that summer, she felt a clear calling to pursue full-time ministry. 

Tatiana volunteered for her first project trip with EMI India in 2017 for the design of a new seminary college. She fell in love with the prayerful and ministry-focused approach in all EMI projects. In 2020, Tatiana volunteered virtually with EMI South Africa to design the wastewater system of a new all-girls school in Tunduru, Tanzania. After seeing a need for a civil engineer, Tatiana joined staff with EMI South Africa in 2022 and moved from New Jersey, USA to Cape Town. Since then, she has been on a variety of projects including Good News Hospital Upgrade (Madagascar), Inundo Farm Training School (South Africa), and Minga Mission Hospital Expansion (Zambia). Tatiana continuously invites the Lord into her work trusting wholeheartedly that He is working towards restoration of His creation and His children through projects like these. 

Family

Tatiana comes from a family of "bodegueros" (bodega owners) where she grew up helping her parents in the family business, a grocery store that also served authentic Dominican food. Her parents moved from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, where Tatiana was born. At the age of 4, Tatiana and her family arrived to New Jersey, USA in search of the "American Dream". Her parents are now retired in the Dominican Republic, but her sisters still reside in New Jersey. Tatiana is the youngest of 3 sisters, and the aunt of 6 nieces and 3 nephews.