Michelle Fernandez (she/they)

Michelle is the founder of Queer Latin Dance SD and the co-organizer of Queer Salsa Sunsets. As a lifelong performer, her background ranges from experiences in competitive gymnastics to singing with Luciano Pavarotti. She fell in love with salsa during college as a creative escape from her engineering studies, an exploration that allowed her to perform with the salsa and bachata group Sokaliente. After meeting her partner Pat and coming out shortly thereafter, Michelle decided to introduce Pat to the world of Latin dance, however she faced some push back when she wanted to learn how to lead. This experience highlighted the lack of inclusive dance spaces and motivated her to set out to build an inclusive, affirming Latin dance space for the queer community in San Diego.

Pat Petel (she/they)

Pat is a co-organizer of Queer Latin Dance SD and has been actively involved in its creation alongside her partner, Michelle. She contributes her skills in photography, web development, event coordination, and overall project management to help ensure QLDSD events run successfully. A self-taught guitarist since the age of 10, Pat is a lifelong learner with a wide range of creative and technical interests. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University, an accomplishment that sharpened her problem-solving skills and shaped her analytical approach to the world. Pat is excited to dive deeper into the Latin dance scene and is passionate about building a dance community together with Michelle.