"Hasta siempre"

Sarasota-Manatee has been my family’s home for the past 22 years, and my gratitude list is extensive for the wonderful people and the amazing opportunities we encountered when we moved from Canada.

After spending several years in the maternal child health and community health fields, it was an easy decision to join the UnidosNow family in 2016; my own story as an immigrant woman and my children’s success in achieving their goals of higher education resonated with the mission of UnidosNow.

I am eternally grateful to Kelly Kirschner, CJ Czaia, and Luis Baron for their vision to found an organization dedicated to elevating the lives of Latinos, and to my predecessors Frankie Soriano and Hector Tejeda (RIP), who narrowed its focus on education leaving a wonderful program to build upon that has resulted in an intergenerational model giving children, youth, and parents the opportunity to create a life of dignity and to be the future leaders that our nation needs.

What a privilege to work with a supportive, kind, and a dynamic board of directors under the brilliant leadership of Kelly Kirschner, CJ Czaia, Frankie Soriano, and the additions of Kathy Schersten, the godmother of the Latinx community and a generous philanthropist connected with many worthy causes in the region, and Karen Arango, who is the poster child of UnidosNow with her own story of being an immigrant young woman from Colombia who achieved her dreams of post-secondary education.

I am grateful for the original UnidosNow team: Kathleen Kaiyoorawongs, Lisbeth Oscuvilca, Beatriz Paniego-Béjar, Wendy Barroso, Juan Arcila, and the late Hector Tejeda for their tireless work to make it possible for UnidosNow to continue its impact in our community with high quality programs and a solid long term sustainability.

I can’t help but smile looking at the current team because of the wonderful additions over the past three years with Cintia Elenstar, Lucero Guzman, Christian De Jesus, Marnie Howell, Wil Colón—our extraordinary IT volunteer—, Anneliese Camino-Klingener, Leslye Trujillo, and Yamir Crespo-Babilonia. They all share the passion and values of UnidosNow and the commitment to serve our students and their parents.

UnidosNow has come full circle with having our alumni Lucero Guzman and Leslye Trujillo and our college coaches Isabella Macias, Ximena Chafloque, Luis Flores, Mina Quesen, and Jonathan Bruzon mentoring our next generation of students. As alumni they inspire their peers to give back to our community, a true testament to the UnidosNow impact as a long lasting gift.

There are many people that have volunteered at UnidosNow in so many capacities devoting their time, talent, and wisdom to mentoring our young students, giving presentations at our career exploration panels, and hosting career exploration days. I’d also like to thank those that have rallied around UnidosNow to make the dreams of our students and parents a reality with their ongoing financial support and partnership. In particular I cite Bank of America and Jamie Kahns, Market Executive Senior Vice President.

I am grateful to many remarkable leaders like Mark Pritchett and Jon Thaxton with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation who were UnidosNow Angel investors and have consistently supported our mission work. Thanks to John Annis, Roxie Jerde, and Kirsten Russell who understood early on the value of implementing our intergenerational programs. It is because of the generous support of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County that we can provide the space for parents to learn together, support each other, and more importantly understand and engage in their children’s education.

Teri Hansen of the Barancik Foundation along with John Annis were instrumental in elevating the quality of our Future Leaders Academy program and the expansion of our LeadNow program in 10 high schools in the region. Susie Bowie with the Manatee Community Foundation and the support of the Knight Foundation made it possible for us to launch our elementary and middle school programs as well as expand our digital literacy component. Carol Butera and The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation have also provided critical support and partnership to UnidosNow through their scholarship program and their capacity building fund.

Debra Jacobs and The Patterson Foundation opened many doors for UnidosNow providing the opportunity to launch our first earned income initiative and to train the first cohort of digital navigators. Adell Erozer with The Bishop Parker Foundation, Carolyn Brown Wertz with the Scheidel Foundation, The Beverly Beall & R Kemp Riechmann Foundation, Tervis, Kathy and Tom Cook Family Foundation, and Enrique Palacio, are also valued partners who continue to support our programs and our students that have transitioned to college.

Some of our generous donors prefer to remain anonymous but I want to thank the “friends of the Latinx community” who embraced UnidosNow at critical times and now they are providing seed funding as our capable team member Lucero Guzman infuses the STEM component in all our programs and fosters STEM circles for our young Latinas. Cathy Layton, Mary Kay and Joe Henson, Charlotte Perret, Chuck Hamilton, Deanne Bauer, Mike Quilliam and Anne Rollings have been caring angels who were always one phone call away and ready to share their wisdom, love, and resources.

My thanks to our local colleges and the school districts of Sarasota and Manatee who have been steady partners in our efforts to ensure that no students were deprived of the opportunities to live up to their full potential. A special recognition to Dr. Karen Holbrook, Dr. Patricia Okker, Dr. Carol Probstfeld, Dr. Todd Fritch, Dr. Laura Kingsley, Dr. Diana Green, Ms. Cynthia Saunders, and Dr. Brennan Asplen for their ongoing partnership.  

I want to thank the parents and students that trusted me and UnidosNow with their lives to give their children a better life. I learned many lessons of resiliency, perseverance, courage, and love from them that will stay in my heart forever. 

Finally, to my husband Luis, my daughters Mariella and Daniella, for allowing me to give to others, and to every single person that believed in the power of our collective work to transform one family at a time, you have my gratitude. Your name may not be on this page but your actions are forever in my heart. 

Thank you for loving, thank you for caring, thank you for giving, and thank you for joining me all these years in this journey of building hope.

UnidosNow is in great hands and I know that the board, with Cintia Elenstar at the helm, the amazing UnidosNow team, and this wonderful community will take UnidosNow to new heights.

It was an honor and a pleasure to join hands with all of you as ONE community to build this life-transforming chapter.

Hasta siempre y por siempre en mi corazón,

Luz Corcuera