Episódios
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Mirtica Aldave moved to the United States from Peru with her family at a very young age. Her parents and their strong family values upheld Peruvian traditions and customs and little did she know, growing up in a bilingual home would shape her entire career. As a bilingual educator and cultural researcher, she has taught in the Hartford School system for many years impacting her students lives. As an advocate for the Latino community, she has applied for and received numerous grants including Fund for Teachers, which she has received twice. Mirtica has traveled extensively engaging in educational research and for her own personal enrichment. Additionally, she works with immigrants teaching English as a Second Language and assists with their pathway to citizenship. In her spare time, she is a dedicated and loving mother, sister, aunt and friend.
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Ballet Folklorico de las Americas (Diana, Paola, & Kelly) are committed to educating their diverse audiences through dance, music and sheer enthusiasm to be with people. These fabulously talented women are sisters from Colombia who arrived at different points in their lives, all with a unique focus, but are committed to teaching and learning all while spreading the beauty of dance as a way to tell stories. When they aren’t dancing or collaborating with their numerous community partners, they are teaching English, running language businesses, and studying for their medical board certification. Their goal to educate through arts is important in our world and engaging the community is their #1 goal.
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Lina Motta is a trailblazer who naturally seeks connections with others and finds arenas for learning on her many travels in the world. Arriving in the U.S. as an au pair from Colombia, she has seized many opportunities in the academic and professional world.
A natural teacher and a lifelong learner, she has tutored English as a second language while promoting social emotional health and building confidence in her students.
As an attendee and winner of the Global Impact Challenge at the United Nations Youth Assembly program for Sustainable Development Goals, she co-founded a nonprofit organization focused on creating learning experiences for youth about essential solutions to heal the planet.
Recently graduating with a Master’s degree in Environmental Management, she is now working for a scientific corporation in Colombia as a chief sustainability officer, collaborating closely with industry leaders on corporate sustainability initiatives. In her free time, she loves yoga and spending time with family and friends. -
Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah is an artist with a rich cultural heritage as the daughter of Ghanaian and St. Lucian immigrants. She grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, which shaped her approach to storytelling from a very young age. As a twin and the youngest of four siblings, her early choices in high school significantly influenced her path. Today, her passion for social justice and racial equality drives her work as a director, writer, and poet. In 2020, she and her sister Ewuradjoa founded The Melacast Network, a platform connecting BIPOC directors with BIPOC actors and crew. They are deeply committed to impacting and changing what true diversity and inclusion looks like for BIPOC creatives.
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Yelena Klompus came to the U.S. with a purpose. In an effort to keep her family safe and raise her son with better access to healthcare, she has been able to use her academic credentials and professional experience from her native country, Russia, to create impactful library programs in the U.S. As the Manager of Multicultural and English Language Literacy Programs at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT, she has been able to connect thousands of immigrants and English language learners to programs and resources that provide a pathway to self-sufficiency. She is empathetic to newcomers but is pragmatic in her approach in pointing people in a direction that helps them build confidence with their English skills and connects them to the community.
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Rajkumari Thakur is from India and has been in the U.S. for 6 years. With an educational background and passion for marketing and business, she pivoted into education and helped with running a school and supervising staff prior to getting married and moving to the U.S. While in the U.S. she has lived on both the east and west coast and has been successful meeting new people and creating a community for her and her family. She is excited for new opportunities that lie ahead for her as she gets ready to reenter the career track. After all this time, she still prioritizes and speaks to her family in India every day.
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Julia Mesquita is from Brazil and has been in the U.S. for 6 years. She is the FINDING OUR VOICES TODAY podcast Social Media Coordinator who designs the weekly interview posts on Tuesday & Saturday that you see on our Instagram and Facebook pages. She is super talented and we are so happy to work with her and have learned so much together.
She is a proud graduate of Norwalk Community College and is currently working as a legal intern and at a job in retail. Her plan is to attend college and pursue a degree in Political Science with the longer term goal of attending law school. Her motivation for this career is deep seated in the experience she and her family have endured. There is no doubt this intelligent and motivated young woman will reach her academic and career goals! -
Marilyn Collins has committed her entire professional career to teaching literacy. Starting at the elementary level while living in VT, she decided to return to her beloved NY and begin working with adult learners. Although she officially retired a year ago in 2023 after a career spanning 40+ years, she continues to teach and mentor adult students. With an expertise in basic literacy, she also has extensive training and experience in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and has trained and prepared hundreds of tutors while in her role as education and curriculum coordinator. Marilyn continues to make significant impact in many lives and as an avid poetry lover she enjoys teaching writing and reading, and often weaves some of her favorite poets into her lesson planning. All this while being a loving and deeply engaged grandma to her beloved 4 grandchildren.
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Mike Gopinathan, Ph.D., who is from India, is a true energizer bunny working diligently for his family and creating a legacy that has impacted his colleagues and overall community. As he sits on the cusp of retirement, he has enjoyed a successful career as an engineer and manager with Eversource and now will focus on his three international businesses. Mike has had a focused career impacting many in his organization with his talent and expertise along with his commitment to leadership and DEI initiatives. Additionally, his academic career has been equally as impressive as he has earned multiple master’s degrees and most recently his Ph.D. An avid tennis and pickleball player he is a role model of living life to the fullest!
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Mariia Vintoniak is from Ukraine and was a working nurse before she arrived to the U.S. just 6 years ago. She has worked diligently to improve her English and learn more grammar and language skills while raising her two young girls and supporting her family’s needs. Her focus on creating a pathway to work was laser focused as she worked in a Ukrainian daycare and juggled the demands of being a working mother. Later it took a turn to what she feels most passionate about when she completed the certified nurses’ aide training at a local community college in Fairfield County. She was hired instantly and able to put her previous work experience and newly learned training skills to work! For her this is just the beginning, as her goal is to eventually continue with nursing school and keep moving her career forward.
We continue to pray for her family and loved ones in Ukraine. -
Lina Arboleda, law graduate pending for bar admission, has had a long journey to achieve her career goals in the United States. As an attorney in Colombia, coming to the U.S. and finding her way wasn’t always easy or involving a clear pathway. Moving from ESL classes, courses at the local community college, having different jobs not related to her career, to attending law school at Pace University, she has covered a lot of ground. Now, as a staff immigration attorney (working under a supervising attorney) at the Lutheran Social Services in NYC she is instrumental in helping immigrants create their own pathway during a critical time in our nation’s history. Brava!
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Marty Barry has had a career as a Human Resources manager/administrator and also as a controller in the field of finance. He grew up with encouragement to volunteer in the community and has continued to prioritize giving back. He learned German in college and when having to put it to use while working in banking he quickly realized how difficult it was to communicate in everyday life. This resulted in building a deeper understanding and empathy for non-native language speakers living in a new location.
After a recent transition from NY to CT he was looking for a place to connect that would provide him an opportunity to meet people and engage in the community. Listen and learn from Marty as he describes how volunteering has impacted his quality of life! -
Chef Ivan Romero is dynamic. He is laser focused on creating beautiful artistic dishes that are delicious beyond words, and enjoyed by people of all cultures. What you’ll hear most in his interview is his gratitude…for his training, his mentors who believed in him, and how he remembers how challenging it was to get where he is today…how his diligence and commitment paid off.
As Executive Chef and business owner of Rosemary Group, he is eager to share his talents with the next generation of incoming chefs. With a focus on Mexican food, he helps restaurants of all styles revamp menus, enhance training practices, and instill sustainability.
In addition to running his business, consulting with local restaurants, and mentoring/teaching others, he is a proud member of the community making impact everywhere he turns. All this, while being a dedicated father to his son. -
Lana Gifas, Executive Director for Women’s Mentoring Network located in Stamford, CT, is making impact. As a former finance professional she took on the leadership role with this non-profit almost 10 years ago. The agency offers specialized strategic life skills workshops, 1:1 mentoring services, resume and workplace readiness support, along with a food pantry and business clothing closet for their clients. With programs in Stamford and White Plains, NY, they are expanding services into Norwalk and impacting more residents of Fairfield County than ever before. With her dedicated team, they work with the client's entire family, including high schoolers who can take on leadership roles in their Junior Leadership programs. Have a listen to learn more and to be inspired!
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Pilar Illanes is a trailblazer. A woman on a mission.
Her experience in America started during the pandemic with a phone call from a family member requesting her to come help with the family business. In an act of love and service she came to help her grieving family, but what was intended to be temporary turned into an journey full of a rich love story and entrepreneurial opportunities that would change her life. Listen and learn how family, commitment, love, hard work, and resilience can change the trajectory of life’s path. -
Danielle moved to the U.S. from Jamaica with her family at an impressible and tender age. Listen to her journey as she shares the differences in schools and learning as well as the social challenges that come with being the “new girl”. The realities of trying to fit in as the new person in a new school…as a teenager…can be rough! Have a listen to her story of working as a young banking professional while enrolled in college, and the thrilling plans she has for herself. This self-assured woman has a bright future ahead and the advice she would give herself is something we should all listen to!
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Suzie Heiland has been an educator for 30 years in a small school district locted in Northwest CT. She has taught many children during her tenure and she can’t imagine doing anything else than teaching. Join the conversation to learn about her changing district as they welcome more immigrant families into the schools. In her small town, families are finding resources and invaluable support for the children and for themselves which truly makes a difference in their educational and journey to independence.
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Mayerli, an engineer, was an au pair in the U.S. for 2+ years dividing her time between Colorado and Connecticut. She traveled quite a bit during her time here but also took every advantage to learn and find pathways to education and creativity serving the community. She was part of the Youth Assembly- a platform founded in 2004 by the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF), a not-for-profit organization, a unique platform that cultivates a global network of young leaders and changemakers through exchange, education, action and impact, in NYC where she started a project inspired by the global Sustainable Development Goals initiative in the areas of recycling as well as responsible consumption and production. From there, she and a dear friend, started a non-profit program. Listen to find out how she made an incredible impact in the U.S. and in their native country.
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Stacia Morris is an energetic corporate professional who has authored Teen Money 101, Teen Money 101 Teacher’s Guide & Teen Money 102 and is the founder of Your Life TREK. She works tirelessly to improve the quality of life for women and families with a focus on financial literacy, financial health & wellness, as well as professional leadership coaching. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (Accounting) and an MBA from Pace University in New York and a BA from the University of the West Indies. She spent the majority of her career with IBM as a leasing executive and has had diverse experiences working globally. She is deeply committed to service and has created micro enterprises for various non-profits including support for women refugees from Afghanistan,empowering them to be financial contributors to their family’s livelihood through training and community support.
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Dr. Jose Mesquita is a Professor of Marketing from Brazil who has been in the U.S. for 6 years. As a visiting research professor at UCONN in Stamford, he has engaged in research and collaborative global partnerships in the academic arena of marketing. Additionally, he has successfully published numerous academic articles as well as an instructional manual for researchers and students titled, Marketing Analytics: Statistical Tools for Marketing and Consumer Behavior Using SPSS.
His motivation is to make data analysis more efficient and easier to aggregate for researchers, instructors, and students.
He is a dedicated family man and a very proud father of 2 daughters. - Mostrar mais