Van Dusen was born in Uruguay, the smallest Spanish-speaking country in South America with a population of 3.4 million.

When she was 20, she moved to Canada and, soon after, the United States in search of greater opportunities. She got married and became a mom, which changed the way she viewed the world and gave her a broader purpose, Van Dusen says.

鈥淚 started looking at the world not only through a woman鈥檚 eyes, but also through a mom鈥檚 eyes,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 became passionate about raising a healthy little girl, not only physically but mentally too.鈥�

鈥淚 also wanted to ensure she would have a better future with the inspiration she gave me that it is never too late to go after your dreams and set the example for her to follow,鈥� she says.

It sparked a calling in Van Dusen to follow her passion to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.

鈥淚 wanted to wake up every day with a purpose,鈥� she says.

Finding the Support to Succeed

While Van Dusen was taking prerequisites and preparing to enroll in nursing school, the COVID-19 pandemic began and she went through a difficult divorce 鈥� now primarily caring for her daughter with no other family support in the U.S.

鈥淔or many years, I was in survival mode,鈥� she says. Throughout the challenges, she persevered for her daughter. 鈥淢y daughter is watching and I remember how important it is for me to keep going.鈥�

She was admitted into the competitive associate in science in nursing program at Miami-Dade College and enrolled full-time, taking out loans, to graduate and begin working as soon as possible.

In Spring 2023, she successfully graduated with her A.S.N. with the honors of making the Dean鈥檚 List, joining Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and being a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Shortly after graduation, she passed the national registered nursing licensing exam (NCLEX-RN).

鈥淚 work hard, and always strive for the best,鈥� she says.

She began working full-time as an registered nurse (RN), and began the application process at 麻豆原创 to enroll in the online RN to B.S.N. program, geared exclusively for licensed registered nurses to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing (B.S.N.).

鈥淚 wanted to go a reputable school and 麻豆原创 is a really good nursing school,鈥� she says of the program, which is .

鈥溌槎乖� was also giving me the opportunity to succeed,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how I was going to be able to balance mom life, student life and work life.鈥�

Van Dusen says what sets 麻豆原创鈥檚 program apart is its flexibility and support from admissions counselors.

鈥溌槎乖� allowed me the ability to learn at my own pace,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey allow students to add classes or reduce classes, depending upon how life is going. That was important to me.鈥�

Now a senior in the program, Van Dusen is currently taking an extra class both this fall and spring in order to graduate a semester early in Spring 2025. She is also the recipient of two nursing scholarships, which 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Nursing awards more than .

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a blessing as a single mom without any help,鈥� she says of the scholarships. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only the help, but it鈥檚 the fact that someone is reading your story and decides help you. They believe in you, and that means a lot.鈥�

Motherhood and Making a Difference

No doubt, Van Dusen has worked hard to achieve her goals and make a positive impact on the lives of patients 鈥� and in the life of her biggest fan.

Her daughter, now 8, says that her mom likes to help people and is her hero.

鈥淚 get emotional,鈥� says Van Dusen of her daughter. 鈥淪he鈥檚 the reason why I went back to school, and that鈥檚 the reason why I became a nurse 鈥� to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

While at 麻豆原创, she works full time in a reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic in the Miami area. She works alongside doctors and providers to provide patient care, and also translates to Spanish-speaking patients.

鈥淣urses have a holistic care approach to health, including mental health,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to learn how to talk to patients, to educate them.鈥�

Of continuing to pursue her education, she says there鈥檚 a saying in Spanish for that.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 dancing, I鈥檒l keep dancing,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 in school, I鈥檒l keep going.鈥�

鈥淥nce I became a mom, I became passionate about kids and it is the reason I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner,鈥� Van Dusen says. 鈥淚 want to help parents build a solid foundation of health and wellness so that children can develop into physically and emotionally healthy adults.鈥�

鈥淧eople tend to get overwhelmed and think they can鈥檛 do it,鈥� she says. Her advice, 鈥淒on鈥檛 overwhelm yourself with it. Just take one class at a time, and try. You never know.鈥�

A 2021 study found that 34% of nonelderly Hispanic residents in the United States do not have a physician 鈥� compared to 18% of African Americans and 16% of Caucasians. This lack of access to care, along with poverty, language challenges, food insecurity and other societal factors 鈥� called the social determinants of health 鈥� lead to higher rates of diseases including diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and cancer for Hispanics.

鈥淲here you live 鈥� your zip code 鈥� is the most important determinant of your health, regardless of race or ethnicity,鈥� says Caridad Hernandez, professor in the College of Medicine. 鈥淟et鈥檚 look at ways that we, as educators, researchers and clinicians, can make a difference.鈥�

One solution on the horizon is a new mobile healthcare clinic 鈥� a collaboration of the 麻豆原创 Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC). 聽The 38-foot van is expected to launch in June 2024, with participation from faculty and students of the AHSC鈥檚 three colleges: Health Professions and Sciences, Medicine and Nursing. It will provide preventative and screening services, with the goal of improving chronic disease management and unnecessary ER visits. By providing care where patients are, Hernandez says the mobile clinic will allow providers to be more engaged in the community and learn first-hand the community鈥檚 needs. The mobile clinic will schedule visits in poverty hot-spots across Central Florida, including Apopka, East Orlando, Kissimmee, Parramore and St. Cloud.

In 2003, medical experts across the nation produced a book titled Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Twenty years later, while some progress has been made, Hernandez says that these disparities continue and have worsened due to COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic showed once again that underserved and minority populations became seriously ill and died from COVID-19 more than their Caucasian counterparts.

According to the U.S. Census, 63.7 million Hispanics now live in the U.S., accounting for 19% of the population. Hispanics make up 27.1% of the population in Florida, 32% of the population in Orange County and 55% in Osceola County. Many of Osceola County鈥檚 Hispanics 鈥� 41% 鈥� are from Puerto Rico, relocating to the U.S. after Hurricane Maria in 2017. In addition to other social determinants of health, many of these families face displacement issues and trauma from the hurricane, Hernandez says.

As the College of Medicine and the healthcare industry look at addressing healthcare disparities for Hispanics, Hernandez and Deborah German, 麻豆原创’s vice president for health affairs and dean, have suggested examining ways to diversify people entering medicine. For example, as technology helps improve care and health monitoring, medical schools might consider admitting more engineers who can help create new, more accessible delivery systems. And increasing the numbers of bilingual medical students 鈥� in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese 鈥� will create more doctors who can communicate with Hispanic patients in their native language.

Hernandez shares her personal journey through medicine as an illustration.

She arrived in the United States as a Cuban refugee at the age of 3. Her parents were farmers in Cuba and had little advanced education. Her mother worked as a seamstress in America. Her family only spoke Spanish in their home and Hernandez was their interpreter for all of their medical appointments.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 end up here by accident,鈥� she says of her life鈥檚 work.

鈥淚 knew I wanted to do something about it,鈥� says Bustamante.

And she has. Along with other members of the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine鈥檚 Latino Medical Student Association, she is helping to organize events to make Spanish more accessible to physicians-in-training. The LMSA events include Spanish lunch hours, where students and faculty practice their conversational language skills, to more formal online instruction. In addition, the medical school is offering a variety of Spanish elective courses.

In Florida 24% of the population speaks Spanish as their native language. That鈥檚 4.5 million people, yet in the healthcare system, physicians predominately speak English only.

Analia Castiglioni, a bilingual faculty physician at the College of Medicine, sees the problem first-hand. An internal medicine specialist, she leads the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center, cares for patients at the Orlando VA Medical Center, and is medical director of the college鈥檚 free Apopka Farmworkers Clinic, where many patients are Hispanic.

鈥淚n Kissimmee where the students do clinical rotations, 30-40% of patients are Spanish speakers,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o if you don鈥檛 speak the language, it鈥檚 harder to take care of them and they can be misdiagnosed.聽麻豆原创 has a 20% Spanish speaking student population and the medical students have shown a strong interest in becoming fluent in Spanish.”

Medical student Ana Carrazana聽volunteered on a medical mission trip to Ecuador before beginning medical school. As one of the few Spanish speakers on the trip, she saw the importance of communicating with patients in their own language.

鈥淓ven asking patients how was their day or how many kids they have in their own language eases the tension, it鈥檚 about making them comfortable,鈥� she says,

She and聽Bustamante聽act as Spanish translators at the farmworker clinic and also the free student-run KNIGHTS Clinic at Grace Medical Home. They talk to patients about their medications, dosage and answer questions concerning their visit to put them at ease.

Medical student Kevin Ruiz鈥檚 family is from Bolivia and he has seen their language struggles when seeking medical care. That鈥檚 why he joined the LMSA effort. He helped promote a parallel Spanish elective for the Clinical Skills Center that educates students on how to conduct basic patient interviews and physical exams in Spanish. Ruiz helped translate the course material for the expanded hands-on learning.

A fourth-year elective course in Medical Spanish 鈥� that helps students translate medical terminology 鈥� attracts more than 60 learners each year. In addition, students can sign up for CanopyLearn, an online medical Spanish course that teaches them everything from how to greet patients in Spanish to asking questions about a variety of ailments including pain, gastrointestinal issues and heart problems. They learn at their own pace and have to take a three-hour exam after completing the course to receive credentials for medical Spanish proficiency. Last year, 12 students signed up for the course.

As Florida鈥檚 Hispanic population grows, so does the demand for Spanish-speaking physicians. 麻豆原创 Health rheumatologist Marilyn Mosquera says there is a great need for Spanish-speaking physicians in her specialty, where providers are treating chronic conditions and need to establish long-term relationships with their patients.

鈥淧atients feel very excited. They truly appreciate it when a physician speaks their own language even if the physician does not speak the language fluently,鈥� says Mosquera, who is bilingual and was born in Columbia and did her fellowship training at 麻豆原创.聽鈥淭his also helps build better rapport with patients to be able to work together on their plan of care.鈥�

Vazquez became the district鈥檚 deputy superintendent in 2018, but her career in education spans more than 30 years. She started as a teacher in Hillsborough County before moving to Orlando to teach at Sadler and Shingle Creek elementary schools, eventually transitioning to the district office as a resource teacher. She then worked her way up through the ranks and has previously held various leadership roles such as assistant principal, principal, executive area director and chief academic officer.

Vazquez received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education from the University of South Florida. At 麻豆原创, she completed her master鈥檚 in educational leadership and administration, as well as her .

The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Vazquez says her parents made significant sacrifices for their family and always emphasized the importance of education.

鈥淓ducation was incredibly important to them,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e knew the sacrifices that they made for my sister and I to have a better life. When I started school, I did not speak any English. I had incredible teachers who believed in me and pushed me, and I was successful. It was because of them that I was able to have the opportunity to go on to college and become a teacher. It鈥檚 my way of saying thank you to my parents for their sacrifice, and it鈥檚 also my way of giving back to those incredibly caring adults who created a learning environment where I felt safe and supported.鈥�

In addition to her experiences in education, Vazquez credits her time at 麻豆原创 with helping to lay the foundation for a successful career in education leadership.

鈥淚 did not gain a true understanding of what was possible in the area of education until I went through my doctoral program.鈥� 鈥� Maria Vazquez 鈥�95MEd 鈥�10EdD

鈥淚 did not gain a true understanding of what was possible in the area of education until I went through my doctoral program,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he professors were incredible. They challenged and pushed us, but they were also very supportive. I had a phenomenal team surrounding and supporting me through my doctoral work, which focused on whether the power of professional development in special education would impact perceptions that principals had of students with special needs. It was a very enriching experience.鈥�

Vazquez says she hadn鈥檛 originally planned on pursuing the path to superintendent, but it was Jenkins鈥� mentorship that encouraged her to take the next step in her career.

鈥淲ith her support and guidance, I took on additional responsibilities and engage in more work with our partners,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started to sit on more boards in our community, and I felt that I could take the helm as the next superintendent.鈥�

Those boards include City Year Orlando, the American Heart Association, CareerSource Central Florida, YMCA of Central Florida and the Orange County Citizens鈥� Commission for Children.

She鈥檚 also handled some significant challenges while in various leadership roles. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it forced Vazquez and her colleagues to think outside the box and work toward finding solutions for the issues it posed. That experience further solidified her desire to continue making a difference in education.

鈥淪eeing the power of collaboration and how our community was able to work through what has been the most unpredictable time in my career showed me that this is such a unique community 鈥� one that values education, one that believes in coming together and overcoming obstacles,鈥� she says.

Jenkins has worked with Vazquez to create a smooth leadership transition.

鈥淚 am extremely pleased that the School Board selected Dr. Vazquez,鈥� Jenkins says. 鈥淢aria is well-versed in every aspect of the district and will be able to accelerate strategies for student success. More importantly, she has the passion and the fortitude to lead a large urban district. I am confident that she will work with the School Board to continue leading our students to success.鈥�

鈥淚 am a living, breathing example of the power education has to transform lives.鈥� 鈥� Maria Vazquez 鈥�95MEd 鈥�10EdD

Vazquez says she is looking forward to serving in the role of superintendent at a time when leaders have been tasked with reimagining ways to use time, resources and learning spaces to educate children.

鈥淲e need to capitalize on this moment to be able to improve those opportunities for our children,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 also hope that other children who have stories similar to my own see that if they set a goal and work hard, they will be able to succeed and it will be life changing. I am a living, breathing example of the power education has to transform lives.鈥�

Creators Syndicate released his first few columns late Tuesday, which coincided with the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15. The month runs through Oct. 15.

For the 60-year-old professor who specializes in Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies, the timing was just right. For years he has been contributing columns that have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Orlando Sentinel and Globe Post, but with the pandemic hitting last winter and the birth of his second grandchild, he said he felt moved to see if he could do more to contribute to the national dialogue.

鈥淚 hope to surprise people by not only sharing my distinct voice, but also infusing my historian鈥檚 perspective and my Cuban humor.鈥�

Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez started to write and contribute columns more often, and late this summer Creators Syndicate, one of the largest such companies in the United States, offered him syndication, which means they are distributing his columns worldwide. The columns can also be found on the Creators Syndicate website. The company launched in 1987 and represents more than 250 writers and artists around the globe, including Pulitzer Prize, Reuben Award and Peabody Award recipients. The company boasts 44 million readers through 2,200 publications.

鈥淚鈥檓 so happy about this opportunity,鈥� Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez says from his home, where he is teaching remotely this semester. 鈥淭here was just so much going on in the world when the pandemic started 鈥� still is, and I realized there weren鈥檛 many voices like mine represented in the media.鈥�

Let鈥檚 clarify terminology here. Latino and Hispanic are interchangeable terms, Martinez Fernandez says. Latinx is a more recent term, but less than 5 percent of the Hispanics use it, he explains in an upcoming column.

More than 60 million Latinos who live in the United States impact everything from the fresh food supply for America鈥檚 supermarkets to presidential elections, he said. That鈥檚 why Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez was especially interested in helping give Latinos another voice in the national conversation. Despite Latinos making up 18 percent of the national population, only a few write nationally syndicated columns, Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez said. For example, Ruben Navarrette of The Washington Post Writers Group writes about politics. Esther J. Cepeda, perhaps one of the most well-known columnists among Latinos, stopped writing columns for the group in May.

鈥淚 feel that where I am in my career, it is my responsibility to help give a voice and that鈥檚 what I hope to do through my column,鈥� he says.

Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez grew up in Lima, Peru, and Puerto Rico after his family fled Cuba in the 1960s. He has multiple degrees including a doctorate from Duke University. He has published several books, including Revolutionary Cuba and edited an award-winning encyclopedia of Cuba. He is recognized as one of the most prolific and influential scholars in the field of Caribbean studies, according to 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts and Humanities. He joined 麻豆原创 in 2004 and teaches a variety of courses. Aside from serving on a several educational boards, he was a trustee of the College Board for several years and in 2019 he joined the board of directors of the National Council for History Education.

Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez says he will cover many topics in his columns, including politics, culture and education.

鈥淚 hope to surprise people by not only sharing my distinct voice, but also infusing my historian鈥檚 perspective and my Cuban humor,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 having a lot of fun writing them and I hope readers will enjoy them.鈥�

鈥淲e went to experience Hispanic culture, but also to bring music to another culture and combine those elements together,鈥� said flute student Alondra Bahls, president of the 麻豆原创 Flute Club.

During Hispanic Heritage Month the group is sharing its cultural experience by performing music from different Hispanic cultures each week.

The Flute Studio is composed of 12 麻豆原创 undergraduate students who have an interest in music, flute performance and music education. To see and hear about the studio .

鈥淲hen I created this trip, I wanted my students to聽experience another culture and improve their leadership skills,鈥� said Associate Professor Nora Lee Garc铆a. 鈥淚 also wanted this to be a recruiting opportunity for the university. While in Guatemala, the students were able to see music-education techniques from a different perspective. This was a chance for them to be inspired by these methods and bring them back to the United States.鈥�

Music performance major Sara Nazarian said the travelers were immersed in an entirely different culture.

鈥淓ducating and advocating and the learning of other cultures is so important and that鈥檚 why we need to have months like these, so we can teach other that we aren鈥檛 that different from each other,鈥� Nazarian said.

Luis Rabelo鈥檚 day job is pretty impressive. The 麻豆原创 engineering professor investigates artificial intelligence and simulations, and how to use both to innovate and enhance operations for public and private agencies.

Over the past 20 years he鈥檚 led teams at places such as NASA and Honeywell International. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce, even hired him for a stint.

Looking to the future takes creativity and vision, Rabelo said. But equally important is knowing where you come from. That may explain why he is so passionate about history. He has turned his home into a museum with a collection of artifacts from Latin America representing some of the most well-known civilizations. Each of his rooms has a theme from the Mayans to modern-day Panama, his homeland.

鈥淎rtifacts from the Moche in Peru to the Mayans in Mexico are examples of the evolution of the human mind and knowledge,鈥� Rabelo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing what they were able to do in a couple of thousand years utilizing the concept of zero. The math we get from them is a product of evolution and that鈥檚 fascinating when you consider artificial intelligence is a form of evolution itself.鈥�

Culture and history are very important to him. Not only does it represent part of who he is as an individual, but the history of Latin America represents the kind of forward thinking that leads to disruptive technology, which can change everything, he said.

It鈥檚 a lesson he tries to pass on to his students: Know the past. Know where you come from before leaping ahead.

If artificial intelligence and simulation are his day job and history is his hobby, teaching the next generation of engineers is his calling.

鈥淚 still remember my math teacher in high school,鈥� Rabelo said. 鈥淣o one could figure out a math problem in the textbook, not even him. I did it. He didn鈥檛 get defensive or make me feel bad. Instead he encouraged me to pursue knowledge. He told me to go make a difference in the world. That鈥檚 the same thing I tell all my students. You have to want more, do more.鈥�

He has mentored or acted as an advisor to more than 40 graduate students since joining 麻豆原创 in 2001.

Rabelo, who also is a coffee connoisseur, holds multiple degrees from MIT, University of Missouri, Florida Institute of Technology and Technological University of Panama. He left Honeywell International, where he was a senior principal research scientist, to join 麻豆原创. He loved the idea of teaching, he said.

He also worked for NASA at the same time running a national program for them. While he continues his research, he also serves as a consultant to a variety of companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Today, the associate professor teaches hundreds of promising engineering students and has taken on a new role: Industrial Engineering & Management Systems’ senior design coordinator for the college. When he鈥檚 not at 麻豆原创, he spends a lot of time cultivating his museum-like collection. It includes hundreds of masks, sculptures, paintings, tapestries, newspaper clippings and photos. He even has original photos of the opening of the Panama Canal and the visit of President Theodore Roosevelt to Panama.

鈥淚 am very proud of my roots,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have not forgotten them. I am American and Hispanic. I am proud of that.鈥�

Before she became a professor, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz had her work exhibited in galleries around the world.

Now, this assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Visual Arts & Design serves as a self-styled ambassador for first-generation college students and any others who are intimidated by the culture of academia.

They need allies 鈥� this [麻豆原创] is probably the only place they鈥檒l be able to find allegiances.鈥�

Her latest project, a tribute to the Pulse nightclub tragedy, will be at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago as part of its 30th annual D铆a de los Muertos exhibition . D铆a de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead, is an annual holiday held in remembrance of dead family and friends. Raimundi-Ortiz has been collecting items of significance from people affected by the Pulse tragedy to craft a three-tiered altar that will debut at the event.

鈥淚 wanted to make sure that the feeling was authentic, that there鈥檚 a conversation occurring about healing and transcendence, and maybe a bit educational, to acknowledge the Latino presence, because it was a Latino tragedy,鈥� she said.

Raimundi-Ortiz鈥檚 art 鈥� her paintings, drawings, photographs and performance-art pieces 鈥� are largely based upon self-examination. Her YouTube character Chuleta, for example, a tough-talking Latina personality who deconstructs the oftentimes abstruse elements of the art world, is based on her experience of disconnection between the art world and the communities with which it鈥檚 involved.

鈥淭he bulk of my research is about otherness,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he work that I make is all about me morphing and becoming different variations of myself鈥he creation of Chuleta teaching these crazy art lessons was because I personally got tired of feeling like art institutions pander to the community but don鈥檛 talk to the community; they talk at the community.鈥�

Raimundi-Ortiz鈥檚 journey began in the Bronx borough of New York City, where she lived with her parents, immigrants from Puerto Rico. They gave their daughter two choices after she graduated high school: get a job or go to school.

In 1995, she enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology, the State University of New York鈥檚 college of art, business, design, mass communication and technology connected to the fashion industry, where she earned her associate degree in illustration. In 2002, she took a residency in the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine, which exposed her to the wider world of art.

Her work has been featured in exhibitions around the world, such as American Chambers, Hush #3 in Korea, Manifesta 8 in Spain, and Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla: transcultura in El Salvador.

Despite her success as an artist, she never imagined that she would find her calling as a teacher.

鈥淎cademia was never even part of my thought process. working-class city chick. The last thing I was thinking about was going to grad school and upper academia,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was just trying to tuck my head, make my art. I never thought I would be showing internationally. I never thought I would be lauded enough to sit at this desk and teach other people.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 until she crossed paths with African-American postmodernist artist Emma Amos around 2005 that Raimundi-Ortiz gave academia serious consideration.

鈥淚 think she understood the value of a woman of color getting her education because she also understood all the doors that would never, ever open to me without a master鈥檚 degree, especially as a visual artist,鈥� she said.

At Amos鈥� insistence, Raimundi-Ortiz applied to Rutgers University, where she graduated with a master鈥檚 degree in fine art in 2008. Two years later, she took a job at 麻豆原创, where she has taught ever since.

鈥淚 still think like that inner-city urban chick,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 forgotten where I鈥檝e come from at all, but 鈥� it [graduate school] forever changed the course of my life.鈥�

Both parties are courting Latino voters who can play a big role in the coming elections if they get involved. Mar铆a S. Garc铆a de la Noceda will speak about the importance of being 鈥減resente,鈥� which translates to being present and engaged. Garc铆a de la Noceda begins her presentation at noon in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union.

But voting is just one of the many ways Latinos can impact the nation. From buying power to their contributions in science and art, Latinos are a growing influence in America. Hispanic Heritage Month 鈥� recognized by Congress 鈥� was established to share and educate the community about the contributions Latinos make.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Latino Faculty and Staff Association and Latin American Student Association along with several other organizations on and off campus will host a series of events from Thursday 聽through Oct. 15. The dates were selected as part of the federally recognized period because they reflect the independence dates of many Latin American countries.

This year鈥檚 lineup includes workshops, presentations and panel discussions that explore everything from navigating change, the psychology of Hispanic/Latino Culture, 鈥淎m I Hispanic Enough,鈥� Latino entrepreneurship, and law and disorder.

There are some art and dance events and the closing ceremony focuses on the same theme of ensuring Latinos are 鈥減resente鈥� in mainstream America.

Jorge Est茅vez, an anchor for WFTV will close out the month with a talk focused on 鈥淟atinos Presente in Media.鈥� That talk begins at noon on Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union.

All events are free and open to the public. To get a complete listing visit and look under HHM2016.

L贸pez will give his presentation at 3 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the College of Arts and Humanities, in partnership with the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, occurs during Hispanic Heritage Month, which pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched the United States. It is free and open to the public. 聽

In 2011, PODER Magazine recognized L贸pez as one of the 鈥�100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States.鈥� In 2009, he headed a commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of the American Latino, a presidential initiative. L贸pez also spearheaded the effort to secure President Obama鈥檚 historic June 2011 visit to Puerto Rico, the first time in 50 years that a sitting U.S. president made an official trip to San Juan.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, L贸pez serves as chairman of the school鈥檚 Latino Alumni Committee. He is a founding member of the Harvard Latino Law Review and currently serves on its advisory board.聽

In addition to the College of Arts and Humanities, the program is sponsored by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, the 麻豆原创 Latin American Studies Program, the Global Connections Foundation and other partners.聽