Young Latinas are paving the way as community leaders, activists and volunteers. A wave of young talented Latinas are ready to become the future leaders of America. These young Latinas are getting involved, acting as leaders and creating positive change.

Name: Miriam Wnorowski Age: 14 Heritage: Mexican-American Hometown: Austin, Texas Volunteer Experience: Miriam has been involved with Girl Scouts since first grade. This year she completed her Silver Award as a Cadette Girl Scout. She wanted to make some upgrades to the Zilker Park Girl Scout cabin in Austin, TX. She spent over 50 hours [...]

If you had asked a six-year-old Jackie Sifuentes what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have been quick to tell you she wanted to be a doctor. Fifteen years later, the dream is still going strong as she nears the end of her undergraduate career at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, [...]

Latinitas is recognizing Chicas Who Care by featuring young Latinas who are making a difference in their community. Name: Jo Marie Duran Age: 15 Grade: 10th grade Tell us about a cause that you are passionate about. Recycling, I thought many people in my school didn’t contribute to it. Why is this problem important? Because [...]

Name: Itzel Castelan Age: 14 Cultural Background: Mexican Classification: freshman Hometown: Austin, TX What are some of your classes? Dance, English, Geography and History Describe a typical day as a high school student? I live right down the street from my school, but since my older sister is a senior she drives us. I go [...]

Name: Liz Carrillo Age: 21 Cultural Background: Hispanic Classification: Junior Major: Business & Marketing What made you decide to go to college? I knew I wanted to go to college since I was little because I wanted to become someone in life. What made you pick your major? I started college as a finance major [...]

Name: Rose Miranda Position & Title: Border Patrol Agent Employer: United States Border Patrol What are some of your job responsibilities? To deter anything associated with terrorism, counter narcotics, illegal immigration and human trafficking. Mainly to deter illegal entries into the United States by patrolling the middle areas between the ports of entries. We look [...]

Describe your current job now and what you like about it: I have the blessing of being the main anchor and reporter for Telemundo Austin. We cover the central Texas area providing local, national and international news in Spanish during our 5pm and 10pm noticieros on cable channel 75, and digital channel 42.2 I love [...]

Cynthia Escalante uses her financial savvy as a financial planner to help people with their finances from saving money to opening their own businesses. She is the first in her family to go to college and get a degree. She is a go-getter who is dedicated to accomplishing every goal she sets for herself.  Today, [...]

Kandolite Flores is a broadcast journalist in El Paso Texas.  She gets information and stories from the community and delivers them in the news hour. She also reports on the traffic every morning to make sure people get to work and school on time. She is a positive role model in the community and loves [...]

Angela Sustaita is the owner of Klothes Lime Buy-Sell-Trade in El Paso, Texas. The resale boutique sells fashionable secondhand clothing for women and men. The concept is used to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle. Customers can bring in their items that are just hanging in their closet and trade them for a stylish [...]

Do you dream of writing for a living? Get inspired by Jennifer Cervantes, who does just that as a middle school fiction author and college instructor.   Cervantes has been writing since 2006 and released her first novel, Tortilla Sun, in 2010. The novel has kept her busy and on the road, speaking at various events, [...]

Linda Asaf is a Texas designer with a penchant for lace, chiffon and silk dresses. Asaf, who is of Mexican and Chinese heritage has her own shop in Austin, a new swimsuit line and an online store. She is perhaps best known for her custom-made bridal gowns, which start at around $1,500, depending on the [...]

As the population of Latinos increases in the U.S. and is predicted to triple over the next 20 years, one woman is putting an effort to uncover untold stories of Latinos who fought in the country’s past wars. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez is an associate professor in the school of journalism at the University of Texas at [...]

What are some of your job responsibilities?My primary duty is a board operator. This basically means running the controls in the studio. Over the years, I have become an on-air radio personality, also. I am also responsible for making sure interviews are booked and orderly on the night show.  Like any other DJ in the [...]

Ivette Lopez, Fleishman-Hillard International Communications What are some of your job responsibilities? In public relations, I help companies and organizations get their message across to certain communities. Sometimes I do this by working with reporters writing a story about the companies or even by updating content on their Web sites, writing speeches, and writing and [...]

Take Our Daughters (and now sons) Day has passed (April 28), but there is a group of young Hispanics who work with mom everyday – assisting with or learning how their mamis make an income. Mia Azul, a 7 year old first grader, interns at her mom’s studio at home. Unlike the traditional experience of [...]

In high school, you have school newspaper or journalism clubs after school, but what happens when you go to college? Latino journalism students have a place of their own and it’s called college chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. I attend the University of Texas at Austin and I happily report our group [...]

In the most recent episode of the ABC Family show Greek, Casey Cartwright, the stunningly blonde and beautiful Zeta Beta Zeta (a made up sorority) sister, planned a “Dry, alcohol-free, Weekend” for her sisters and the whole Greek system. The popular teen show tunes viewers into the ups and downs of mainstream college sororities and [...]

Being a parent is hard work.  When the parent is still a teenager, it makes it even more challenging to take on the responsibility of another life.  The late nights, the expenses, and the worry, can sometimes be forgotten when a baby’s face is all that someone sees. No Kidding is a program that tries [...]

The Hispanic Mother Daughter Program can help you find the answers to these questions. This program will show you the benefits of a college degree and help you get in. The Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program has numerous college prepartory programs across the nation that focus on helping young Latinitas like you go to college. Many young [...]

Have you ever stopped to consider the work and creativity that goes behind designing gorgeous Latina fashion? It takes a very creative fashionista to come up and establish fashion trends. Many people dream of having their own line of clothing and creating beautifully designed pieces that many will want to wear. However, designing trendy pieces and [...]

By Lizette Ruiz & Olga Ochoa From exploring space as an astronaut to creating new technology tools as an engineer, Latinas are reaching new heights as strong, innovative and smart women in the fields of  science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Overall, women, especially Latinas, still lag behind in these fields. According to the American Association [...]

Latina art history is known for its beautiful artisan craft works and weaving, but painters and print makers have been using all types of mediums to show their talents. We have gone throughout history to look for promising visual artists who have made an impact in the art world. These artists come from different genres in the [...]

Latinas have been prevalent in leadership positions the U.S. for many years now. Not only are Latinas make an impact in entertainment and in our hearts, but as strong, and striving women in government, law and politics.  These women are more than government officials, they’re workers for the people. They are the first of their [...]

In 2011, my country honored Dilma Rousseff as the first woman President. As a former activist and community leader, Dilma is making history and changing the odds for Latinas. Her history of being a “rebel”, as some would say, is a reminder that we all must take baby steps towards making a huge impact on [...]

Mexican-American presence and activism in the United States is one that is full of strong and independent leaders that have fought for what they believed in. Dolores Huerta, a Latina from New Mexico, was born April 30, 1920. She is historically one of the most important female role models for Latinas in the United States. [...]

“¡Sí se puede! Yes, we can!” Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American hero for many, who was born March 13, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona. He was a man who believed in helping the Latino community living in the United States and fought very hard for their rights. He was a leader who gave everything he had [...]

Latinitas talk about who they see as their role models. Beth is my teenage aunt. That means she was only five when I was born!!! Ever since then, my aunt has been my role model. She teaches me not to like guys until I’m older. She also teaches me does and don’ts. I love her [...]

Gigi Fernandez is an Olympic medalist, a tennis player, a youth fitness activist, a mother and an entrepreneur. Latinitas members talk about how Gigi Fernandez serves as a leader off and on the tennis court. “Gigi Fernandez was born on February 22, 1964 in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is a professional [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí Hello! My name is Cynthia Cervantes and I am 12-years-old. I am a seventh grader in California, and my favorite subjects are history and math. In my spare time, I like reading, watching TV and playing school with my little sisters. My experience with scleroderma began more than a [...]

Immigrant: one that immigrates, a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residency. That is the definition for an immigrant according to Webster’s Dictionary. Have you ever asked yourself why the real meaning of the word immigrant included in the dictionary definitions? For me, being an immigrant means changing your customs, leaving [...]

High school senior Natalia Barra decided to share her story with us. “My mom had me at a young age and went through a lot of struggles through her life,” Barra said. “I knew one thing for sure. I did not want to have sex until I was old enough to take care of a [...]

For me, being a lesbian and Latina means that I have to learn how to reconcile being openly gay with my culture. Everyday Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GLBTQ) people are harassed, beaten, abused and even killed for simply being who they are. Now imagine being a lesbian and Latina.  Think of the conformity [...]

Editor’s Note: The following is a two-part reading of diary excerpts from a German student, Josi, who came to live in Austin, Texas as part of a student exchange program. This type of international program allows high school students to live in a foreign country for a semester or two. Usually, there are organizations that [...]

At only age 8, Madison McGuire already has big dreams and has her plans set on becoming an Olympian. Madison McGuire has been in gymnastics for four years now and has come a long way, but not without the help of her family. She has a twin, three brothers, a loving mother, father and stepmother [...]

Meet a modern day superwoman. A Senior in high school, Laura Saldivar has a resume most college grads wish they had. Before the age of 17, she implemented teen driving safety programs in Illinois through several educational outreach programs. As an advocate for service learning, the implementation of several safe driving outreach programs, like the [...]

Calista Caroline Burns, age 11 Nominated by:  Girls Inc. of San Antonio Hometown:  San Antonio, Texas Volunteer Experience:  Calista has fed meals to the eldery during Thanksgiving. She was one of the top 5 fundraisers for the iWin Joe Jonas Fun Run Benefitting the Special Olympics. Calista has also volunteered at a local children’s home [...]

Elizabeth Lara Age: 17 Heritage: Mexican-American Hometown: Cd.Juarez, Mexico Volunteer Experience: I have volunteereed at school selling concessions during volleyball games, hosting fundraisers, participating in canned food drives, contributing to coat drives and at school festivals I have worked certain booths. Also, I have participated in the LULAC convention for women and for the BMW Passion for Fashion [...]

Nancy Martinez, age 16 Hometown: Alexandria, VA Nominated By: Noraine Buttar Volunteer Experience: Nancy volunteers for several organizations. She is one of two youth on the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria’s (SAPCA) board of directors. She also participates in all of SAPCA’s activities. Nancy served as a Project Sticker Shock volunteer, where she worked [...]

Alma Benitez, age 18 Hometown: Austin,TX Nominator: Brooke Maudlin Volunteer Experience: Alma graduated from Akins High School with honors. She was enrolled in several AP classes and still made time to volunteer at school and with Latinitas. She volunteered with the Latinitas summer camp and helped with Akins high school student organizations. Challenges She Has [...]

Leticia Hernandez,  age 16 Hometown: Austin TX Volunteer Experience: She has volunteered at a variety of places, including hospitals, schools, non-profit organizations and churches. Leticia is passionate about helping others, giving back to the community and knowing that she can make a difference. The blessings she’s received throughout her life motivate her. An array of [...]

Yessenia Lopez, age 16 Hometown: Orem, UT Nominated By: Abril Altamira, Latinos in Action Volunteer Experience: Yessenia has been in a organization and honor class called Latinos in Action for two years. She has worked with fundraisers and community service. During the school year, she tutors elementary students two times a week and assists the [...]

Karissa Amorette Ramirez Hometown: El Paso, TX Volunteer Experience: Karissa is the historian of the MacAurther National Junior Honor Society, where she participated in more than 1000 community service hours in various projects during her school year. Karissa is also involved with her local Avon branch were she helps at woman’s shelters. This summer, Karissa [...]

Amaris Garcia Hometown: Lubbock, TX Nominated by: Christy Martinez Volunteer Experience: First, Amaris is a sophomore at Texas Tech University. She is also the Youth Editor for Latino Lubbock Magazine, a local bilingual newspaper. Since 2007, Amaris has written articles from a Hispanic youth perspective, recruited youth writers, served as a youth leader and delegate [...]