Manuel Pastore was born and raised in El Salvador. At the age of 13 he arrived to the Bay Area which became his new home. The cultural shift and the natural changes of adolescence, became huge opportunities for growth and exploration of self, thanks to the guidance and mentorship from different individuals along the way. It was at that point that the power of mentorship, genuine care, and authentic sharing became clear, as major factors to successfully growing through adverse situations. 

Thanks to multiple mentors; including his parents, Manuel was able to transfer from Contra Costa College to UC Berkeley, from where he graduated in 2011 with a degree in Biology. After graduation, Manuel continued his passion for genuine connection by sharing his experience as an immigrant minority in the United States with youth ranging from middle school to college.

​He has lead workshops focusing on discovering our true identity beyond the labels assigned by society. He has participated in educational panels, parents conferences and most recently assisting in establishing the first National Salvadoran Youth Network which was the first of its kind in the United States.

Manuel is honored and excited to join the wonderful village at Stepping Stones and looks forward to learning from everyone’s journeys and experiences as we navigate life together, now. 

Oh - Manuel also enjoys playing futbol! (of course), nature walks to unplug from the alternate reality of everyday, cooking, philosophical conversations, salsa dancing and he is also a rapper in a band making conscious music with a bunch of friends from high school! Looking forward to this new experience.