Pablo Cambron-Valdez

Pablo Cambron-Valdez has been interested in art and sculpture since childhood. He would often make figurines out of clay his mom brought home from work or attempt origami from scraps of paper. But when he took his first Glass Blowing class the summer before high school—a gift he received for getting good grades—he knew it was something special. "I really got mesmerized by the process of glass and how it moves. There is a real satisfaction working with glass. The fact that everything has to be fluid but controlled is very intriguing to me," he explained.

Throughout his early years of high school, Pablo continued taking Crucible classes—sixteen total, the majority in glass. When he was old enough, Pablo joined our Fuego Youth Leadership Program and Pre-Apprentice Program, which helped prepare him to become a member of our faculty. Pablo joined The Crucible faculty in 2019, one of the dozens of students who grew up taking classes at The Crucible to become a faculty member. “I can relate to my students because I can step back into their shoes and remember how I was scared at certain points. If my students get spooked I say, ‘Look at me and take a deep breath. You’re here, I’m here, and we’re gonna get this done. I’m here to help you out.’