LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Our annual Education issue is one of the most relevant of the year because it reminds us of the ideal of the American Dream: That with hard work all people have a fair shot at a successful life, the promise that each generation can do better than the one before it; and that in the US advancement does not depend on being born with advantages. In an increasingly complex world higher education is an especially powerful gift of opportunity, and that is why it is so important to recognize those educational institutions that are gong the extra mile to provide access to Latino students and celebrate those leaders who have devoted their lives to providing a path to growth. We thank them all for their wonderful efforts. Making the dream real is a product of our choices as a community – and today none are more important than the decisions related to financial literacy. When it comes to the options Latino families are faced with when pursuing higher education knowledge is power. And that is why we are honored to have partnered with MassMutual and their College Planning and Savings platform. Not only does it share powerful insights into how Latinos view the relationship between money and education – but it also offers practical solutions to dismantle current barriers to educational advancement and the problem of grappling with student debt. By asking ourselves the right questions we can make small every day efforts to arrive at an answer. Higher education offers us the chance to make something more of ourselves than our circumstances would otherwise allow. Done right, it’s a catalyst; thrusting our careers and our lives into territories we may have only dreamed of. We hope you find MassMutual’s contribution helpful as a first seep to this future. We are also delighted to present our 2017 top lawyers index with the sponsorship of firms such as Littler, who through their support confirm their commitment to diversity; as well as the five honorees of the USHCC’s 2017 Hispanic Business Enterprise program, which recognizes Hispanic entrepreneurs through nominations from the corporations they do business with. We are especially grateful to MGM Resorts International and their Executive Director of Supplier Diversity Kenyatta Lewis who allowed us to share details of her partnership with HBE honoree Sophia Salas-Del Pozo – providing a powerful testimonial of what is possible though these collaborations. We hope their story will inspire other business leaders to take the leap and approach corporations they may feel intimidated by - but in which they could find wonderful mentors and a unique opportunity for unprecedented growth. As always our aim is to offer inspiration though our last stories of the year, and our wish is that that you will continue to join us in the ones to come.
Mariana Gutierrez Briones Director of Journalism
6 • November / December 2017