Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, is a time to honor the rich traditions, history, and contributions of Hispanic communities. This month serves not only as a celebration of culture but also as an opportunity to acknowledge the vital role that Hispanic individuals play in our society. Lake Highland recently hosted a Hispanic Business Forum to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Starling Gallery on the fourth floor of the Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics. This event featured three business owners and professionals who shared their inspiring journeys. These three speakers highlighted how their cultural backgrounds have affected their careers for the better. Each shared how their Hispanic heritage instilled a strong work ethic, creativity, and motivation. These speakers included Mr. Manny Vivar, CEO of HostDime, Dr. Carolina Cruz, UCF professor and VR pioneer, and Mr. Juan Amo, Bank of America Senior Vice-President. Mr. Vivar is an immigrant from Mexico, and Dr. Cruz and Mr. Amo are from Venezuela.
Lake Highland also hosted a Hispanic festival to celebrate Hispanic culture for this month on Friday, September 27, during club/assembly time. The National Hispanic Honors Society (NHHS) organized this event to celebrate and educate others on Hispanic Culture. They set up individual tables for each Spanish-speaking country which students will visit with their own passports. Students learned about each country and played a quick game of trivia to earn a passport stamp. Once completed, they traveled to the next table. There was also an area where students could make carnival masks, take Salsa dance lessons, watch the Disney movie COCO in the Johnny Holloway Black Box Theater, play bingo, or engage in dominos.
The Hispanic Business Forum instilled inspiration into all listeners of the presentation. All three speakers spoke passionately about the importance of community and family values in shaping their approach to entrepreneurship. They emphasized that their cultural roots have guided them to hard work and forming connections with customers. Although they insisted on the importance to their cultural roots, they reminded their audience that it is your hard work and commitment that leads to your success. Mr. Amo stated, “Your cultural roots can get you a seat at the table, but your work will get you the job.” Your cultural background can form connections with friends, co-workers, and bosses but your future lies in your determination to succeed.
All speakers highlighted the importance of remembering where you and or your family come from in order to appreciate all the opportunities provided in this country. It is easy to forget how fortunate American children are to live in a place where anything is possible with hard work and determination. Dr. Carolina Cruz highlighted the fact that her drive for success mostly came from remembering her home country, Venezuela’s situation, and how she sacrificed to live in America for her future.
Another opportunity cultural roots can offer is the opportunity to connect to others. Mr. Manny Vivar started his company, HostDime, as a small local business, not expecting its rapid growth into an international company. Mr. Vivar claimed that though his ingrained hard-working nature of being an immigrant, and his given ability to spark connections, are what ultimately led to his success. The impact of these discussions was significant, inspiring students to recognize the importance of their own backgrounds in potentially shaping their future. Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that our identities can affect our professional lives for the better in the future.
