By Ana Gomez Salcido 

The Mexican Consulate in San Diego hosted a reception in honor of the new consul general, Marcela Celorio, this Wednesday, July 6.

The reception, hosted at Point Loma’s Casa Valencia, included appetizers, wine tasting, and the opportunity to meet Celorio in a casual setting. There were around 200 attendees including business and community leaders of the San Diego-Tijuana region.

“I plan to meet the mayors of the 18 different cities in the County. The Mexican Consulate covers all the County, not just the City of San Diego,” said Celorio, who pointed out that Imperial Beach mayor, Serge Dedina, who was in attendance, was one of the first mayors she met.

Celorio addressed the attendees in a brief ceremony where she mentioned how impressed she was with the San Diego region.

“I’m impressed with the region’s dynamic, I never taught there was a dynamic where the border disappears and it looks more like a transit stop,” said the new consul general. “This dynamic was created by the society.”

One of the main focuses of the new consul general is to further the educational services provided by the Mexican consulate through community plazas, she added, with the goal of enhancing the English language among Mexican nationals.

In her plans, there is also the idea of starting pilot programs to provide community services in evening or night shifts, that are planned to be available in communities, and not on the actual Mexican Consulate facilities.

“[Celorio] has a great experience in diplomacy and I believe she is going to be a good ally in the art department,” said Aida Valencia, venue hostess and leader in Latino Art in San Diego