Vilma Sastre Martínez

We continue to grow and strengthen our SanArte Cultura family, integrating valuable elders and professionals who bring wisdom, experience, and heart to our consulting team. We warmly welcome Vilma Sastre, a wonderful addition to this path of culture, healing, and community.

Vilma Sastre Martínez, a Puerto Rican, was born on September 30, 1965, in the Puerta de Tierra housing project. She is the daughter of Milagros Martínez Cruz and José Manuel Sastre Cintrón. At age 11, she moved to Villa Palmeras, formerly known as San Mateo de Cangrejos, and later settled in Carolina, where she still resides.

From a young age, she demonstrated a deep commitment to service and the community. She studied Emergency Medical Technician and Rescue at the CEM (Center for Emergency Medical Services), serving for ten years in the San Juan and Bayamón areas. She later completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University College of San Juan, where she distinguished herself as an intensive care and emergency room nurse for over twenty years. She also worked as a dialysis nurse for one year and as a nursing instructor for five years, contributing to the training of new healthcare professionals.

At age 11, she met the Cepeda family, with whom she developed a deep cultural and artistic connection. She became part of the family and later married Orlando Cepeda Brenes, with whom she had a son, Orlando Rafael Cepeda Sastre. Her career in Puerto Rican dance and culture has been extensive and significant: she was a member of the Ballet Folclórico for many years and collaborated in numerous Bomba workshops at institutions such as the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Naranjito Folkloric Group, and pioneering projects like Bombazo de Puerto Rico, Bomba Evolución, Son del Batey, Yubá Iré, and Los Reguladores de San Juan with Jerry Ferrao.

She has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Los Pleneros de Severo and has represented Puerto Rico alongside the Cepeda family in the Virgin Islands and Chicago, in addition to performing at numerous town squares and festivals throughout the island. Currently, she continues to share her knowledge by offering Bomba workshops at her home in Carolina.

His commitment to culture has been recognized by various entities, including the Cicre Group of the Emanueli and Maríen Torres López brothers, as well as the Tambuyé Workshop at the Vivo Beach Club.

Vilma Sastre Martínez represents a life dedicated to health, teaching, and the preservation of Afro-Puerto Rican heritage, merging her passion for nursing, culture, and service to the Puerto Rican community.