Get to know Carlos Nicasio
San Diego Coordinator
Carlos Nicasio is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico. He moved to the U.S. in 1973 when he was four months old to a community in San Diego called National City. He grew up in a home with primarily Spanish-speaking parents. When he went to kindergarten, he started to learn English but struggled a lot early on in school because of the language barrier.
Carlos describes his life as a miracle and the reason why he works with youth today. At thirteen years old, even though he came from a good family, Carlos rebelled joining a gang and a graffiti crew. Spray painting walls turned into being a “Tag Banger” that snowballed into a gang lifestyle. At sixteen years old, he was arrested for grand theft auto. Due to gang violence, bad drug deals or prison, he lost friends, cousins and even his own brother.
Today, Carlos is the Executive Director and founder at Concrete and Canvas, a non-profit he started in 2015 with the mission to transform communities through murals and mentoring. He is motivated to empower youth to live out their dreams and has worked extensively in building the capacity of young people through various school-based and faith-based ventures in San Diego for the past twenty-five years. In addition to his youth ministry background, he is an entrepreneur with a strong background in sales, business consulting, and personal development coaching.
Carlos describes his life as a miracle and the reason why he works with youth today. At thirteen years old, even though he came from a good family, Carlos rebelled joining a gang and a graffiti crew. Spray painting walls turned into being a “Tag Banger” that snowballed into a gang lifestyle. At sixteen years old, he was arrested for grand theft auto. Due to gang violence, bad drug deals or prison, he lost friends, cousins and even his own brother.
Today, Carlos is the Executive Director and founder at Concrete and Canvas, a non-profit he started in 2015 with the mission to transform communities through murals and mentoring. He is motivated to empower youth to live out their dreams and has worked extensively in building the capacity of young people through various school-based and faith-based ventures in San Diego for the past twenty-five years. In addition to his youth ministry background, he is an entrepreneur with a strong background in sales, business consulting, and personal development coaching.
