My articles of interest

I just finished my second graduate school class Multimedia Writing and it feels great. Although it's only been my second class, I feel as though this one was intense. We had four major projects due in four weeks plus an additional daily tumblr photo post. Below you'll find all four interviews I recorded, edited and produced. Enjoy!

• Juntos interview with Erika Almiron and Miguel Esteban - Immigration is clearly a hot topic and with the presidential election right around the corner, there are organizations looking to make change. Erika and her team are doing just that.
  
• A Cortes-Velasquez Family Wedding - My brother and his fiancee are getting married in August 2013. Here's the story of how they met and their future.
  
• The woman behind the tattoos - Tattoos are something I absolutely love. We all get them for various reasons. However, sometimes people with tattoos/piercings do intimidate us. Meet Angie...the woman behind the tattoos.
  
• Rafael Alvarez and the Norris Square Neighborhood Project - Meet the man in charge of the garden programs. 

Local scholarship winner hopes to become role model

Earlier today, the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented Geraldo Oyola, 18, of Eastern North Philadelphia, Dr. José E Lebron Scholarship. The Lebron Scholarship Fund is housed within GPHCC’s Professional Mentoring Network (PMN) program and awards the expenditure of a two-year tuition program at the Community College of Philadelphia. This is a tremendous opportunity for any incoming college student. With the education gap at a low (among Latinos) any help to achieve higher education is a plus for me. Oyola has also been heavily involved with Congreso de Latinos Unidos as well. “My community needs a role model [and] I want to be that role model,” he wrote in his submission essay to GPHCC. “This scholarship won’t just help me, but it will open the doors for others to receive my help.” I hope other high school students will look up to Oyola and realize a high education is just another goal in all our lives.

Saint Louis Cathedral full of emotion

Last weekend I visited New Orleans, LA (NoLa) for the first time. I must say it is always a great experience learning about other parts of the country. I also always forget that since the U.S. is so large, certain parts of the country still have French, English and Spanish influences. One of the locations that had a great impact was the Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the U.S. So why was there an impact? I am not religious at all. Well maybe a tad bit.

I did grow up Catholic and went through the communion services but after a while my attendance was minimal. This church in NoLa is not just beautiful in sight, but you can feel a presence; whether good or bad it's up to you. I couldn't help but think about my family and those that have passed away. It was such a strong feeling that I was overcome with emotions and I did get tear-eyed. I left feeling a little more spiritual and yearning for more.

Congreso organizing our youth

Earlier today I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Congreso de Latinos Unidos' work-ready program students. The program gets high school students ready for the working world in a variety of ways. This year the program has two components; the students have to do a community garden as well as a newsletter about the same garden. Students will be interviewing people from the community and professionals in the gardening field.

I usually get a little nervous when giving a speech, especially with teenagers. You know sometimes the attention span of our youth can be a little low. However, when I do give presentations I like it to be informal and a conversation. If I do all the talking, then we won't learn anything. There were about 25 students and although I did see some "why is he talking" faces I was happier to see the one or two students ask questions. And they were really interested! You know as long as those two people got something out of what I talked about, I know I did something right. My basic message: Anything is possible and don't let the 'haters' tell you NO.

Lambda Pi Chi invades Philadelphia

Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. ("Lambda Pi Chi”) announced that the location of its 2012 National Convention will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from August 3rd through 5th. To be honest this was not only shocking but I was happy to hear of a Latino Greek Lettered Organization (LGLO) choosing Philadelphia as their host city. It's not everyday you hear about an LGLO visiting la ciudad de amor fraternal. This year, Lambda Pi Chi will continue that legacy with its annual College Book Scholarship Program, among other initiatives. The scholarship program, which is part of Lambda Pi Chi’s Proyecto H.A.C.E.R. (Hermanas Advancing Career and Educational Resources), provides financial assistance to outstanding college-bound young women. 


The ironic part about this year's convention? Lambda Pi Chi has chosen my boss, Clara Rivas, as their keynote speaker. "Ms. Rivas’s passion for, and dedication to, the Latino community as well as her professional successes as a Latina in the challenging world of media, is inspiring," says Maria Diaz, National President of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. "We are confident that her experiences will personally resonate with our members and motivate them as they pursue their own professional and philanthropic endeavors.” Clara is the general manager at Telemundo Philadelphia and has spoken at several events in the area as well as won numerous awards. 


 To obtain more information about Lambda Pi Chi’s 2012 National Convention in Philadelphia, please visit: www.lambdapichi.org/Convention2012.

Philadelphia raises the Colombian flag

Photo courtesy Al Dia News

Last Friday, July 20 Colombia celebrated their independence. Countless cities held festivals but in Philadelphia, something new happened. Not only was their a Festival Latinoamericano: Independencia de Colombia, but City Hall raised the Colombian flag for the first time. Thanks to the social activist organization MIRA USA, this first time event took place.

For more photos from the flag raising ceremony visit Al Dia's flickr.com stream: http://www.flickr.com//photos/aldianews/sets/72157630673768084/show/

Meeting Telemundo celebrities

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting José Díaz-Balart at an event I put together. Mr.Díaz-Balart is the national anchor for Noticiero Telemundo and Enfoque, Telemundo's weekend public affairs program. I normally don't get star struck but it is a bit nerve wrecking considering they are the "face" of Telemundo and I'm just a simple marketing and promotions guy. You never know when a talent/celebrity might not be pleased with something. However, for the past year all the Telemundo celebrities I have met are bien simpatico.Considering I'm always at work when I meet them, I have to be on my A game.

Over the course of two years I have met Dra. Ana Maria Polo, Penelope Menchaca, Maria Celeste, Carmen Dominicci, Gabriel Valenzuela and now Jose Diaz-Balart. Of course when I tell my mom she says, "Por favor mandame una foto," which I of course do. Mom is the typical Telemundo viewer. She actually has a whole row of photos displayed at her house include some autographed talent cards. I wonder who I will be able to meet next!

The Latino Heritage Fund road trip begins

Take five social media influences, give them a car and some awesome electronics with the one goal to capture Latino heritage and what do you get? You get the American Latino Heritage Fund road trip! Our northeast team already started their journey in Providence, RI. 

The five social media influencers include:

• Lance Rios of Being Latino: Rios (@BeingLatino) and his team from Being Latino will canvas the Northeast from New York City to Washington, D.C.  His adventures will be posted on www.BeingLatino.us.
• Alex de Carvalho of Social Media Club South Florida: de Carvalho (@AlexDC) will tour Texas, New Mexico and parts of Arizona.  He will be blogging at http://www.alexdc.org.
• Eva Smith of Latina Mom Bloggers/Tech.Food.Life Blog: Smith (@Eva_Smith) and her family will document the Southwest starting in San Diego, California and through Arizona and New Mexico.  Her travels will be documented on www.techfoodlife.com.
• Cristy Clavijo-Kish of Hispanicize/Los Tweens: Clavijo-Kish (@LatinoMarketing) and her family will explore the Mid-Atlantic Region.   Her road trip will be posted on www.LosTweens.com.
• Maria de los Angeles of Sex and the Beach: de los Angeles (@ViceQueenMaria) will be joined by north Florida Latina lifestyle blogger Babushka (@bbabushka) who will drive the entire state of Florida from Key West to Tallahassee.  De los Angeles will blog her adventures at http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/ while Babushka will document at her website http://bohemianbabushka.blogspot.com/.

To join in on the fun follow the hashtag #LatinoHeritage on Twitter. Maybe they'll stop by your city!