Mount Saint Mary College’s Latino Student Union (LSU) recently brought together five local leaders of color to discuss their struggles and successes at the Influential Latinas Panel.
Sharing their expertise with the Mount community were Genesis Ramos, executive director of the Desmond Center for Community Engagement and Wellness and Orange County Legislator (District 6); Susana Alba, former Dean of admissions at the Mount; Giselle Martinez ’20 a Newburgh City Councilwoman (Ward 1); Tiba Araujo, author and on-air personality on CNN’s NotiMuhjer; and Lenora Liz ’12 MBA ’17, Deputy City Treasurer, Middletown N.Y. Mayor’s Office.
A lifelong resident of Newburgh and a first-generation daughter of Honduran immigrants, Ramos noted that she is working hard to increase the representation of people of color in local government.
“When I ran for office last year, when I was knocking on doors, I wasn’t telling people ‘If you vote for me, I’m going to be the first Latina and the first woman of color in the Orange County Legislature.’ I was telling people who I was and what I want to do for my community,” she explained. “For me, it was never about having that accolade. It was about paving the way so that other women who look like me don’t feel like it’s impossible to be where I am.”
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Alba said enjoys helping other Latinos and Latinas achieve greatness through education.
“My sisters didn’t speak English when they came [to America]”, Alba explained. However, they were determined to succeed from a young age, which became a signature trait of Alba and her family. “My sisters could have rested on the fact that ‘I don’t speak the language,’ or ‘I need some more time to learn,’ but they made the best out of it.”
The panel was moderated by LSU president Victoria Veloz-Vicioso of Englewood, N.J., a Mount Business major with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Digital Media Production. She also serves as secretary of the Mount’s Student Business Association.