Jazmin Martinez

October 16, 2024

The strong mentorship and support of a faculty member at her university gave this person the motivation to continue preparing for a career in Latino health disparities.  Jazmin’s ultimate goal is to obtain a doctorate in public health and focus on health disparities. Jazmin fundamentally believes that we need more ethnic minority professors in this country. […]


Eva Rodriguez

October 16, 2024

Like her lovely Mexican guanengo blouse, Eva isn’t afraid to “display” her cultural ties and her desire to help people wherever she goes. That already includes a school health program and family planning program in New York, which built up her a desire to study reproductive health, reduce stigma, and start an open dialog in […]


Erika Sisneros

October 16, 2024

Although she grew up in Colorado, it’s her family’s New Mexican red chili sauce that reminds of home. Having grown up in a community with great need, Erika gained a passion for finding ways to prevent teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and dating violence. Just as her grandmother Patricia always stood by her side during trying […]


Diana Aguirre

October 16, 2024

A purse can make a fashion statement. But for this person, her “Yo Quiero Colombia” purse is a reminder of her roots and a reminder of her string dedication to changing people’s lives for the better. She’s got a great start thanks to her work on an obesity prevention project and coordinating a promotora health […]


Claudia Cristina Velazquez

October 16, 2024

The catholic religion has been the rock of her life but education is her passion. At an early age Christina was instilled with the importance of learning and every night she would practice reading the newspaper with her grandfather Leopoldo. When her uncle developed cancer she knew that public health was her future. She is […]


Breann De Santiago

October 16, 2024

A packing warehouse may not seem inspirational on the surface, but for Breann it is a symbol of her family’s and her father’s dedication and perseverance in the face of big hardships. She certainly shares these characteristics, because she’s already become one of the first in her family to go to college and is gaining […]


Alexandra Banks

October 16, 2024

Visiting a cancer institute as a young Girl Scout and later volunteering at a dialysis clinic, this person’s mother showed her exactly how to be a valuable community leader. She has fully taken on that leadership role. She mentors high-school students even as she studies urban public health.  With a family history of pancreatic cancer […]


Angie Poggi-Burke

October 16, 2024

Fueled by the efforts of her mother who worked hard to provide for her kids, Angie,  this Puerto Rican native graduated high school early and struck out on her own, moving to Washington, DC, after college and then working on federal health disparities projects. Her proactive nature has stoked her interest in non-communicable diseases, psychosocial […]


Angelina Viviana Velazquez

October 16, 2024

After losing loved ones to diabetes and cancer Angelina decided she wanted to find a cure.  Her research interests lie in studying the cellular mechanisms of diseases and translating this into drug discovery. Persistence, hard work and education are just some of the values she learned from her father Miguel and her cute bag from […]


Andrew Jimenez

October 16, 2024

Encouraged by his great-grandfather’s spurs and his father’s ever-present support, this person is driven to make a difference in helping Latinos live healthier lives. He is his family’s first college and grad school student, and he works as a research assistant while he studies health promotion. He’s open to new topics and challenges because he […]