May is Mental Health Awareness month and there are events on May 17th, May 22nd, and May 30th for Mental Health Matters of Washington. May 17th, there will be a virtual round table on neurodiversity with Dr. Lucas Harrington, a psychologist who was diagnosed with autism later in life. His research and lived experiences will be shared at this virtual session. They will provide both ASL and Spanish translation. May 22nd: (in person at Skagit Valley College): Nalaxone Training (with English to Spanish translation). May 30th: Lifesaving Conversations: They are partnering with the UW Forefront Center to provide their LEARN skills training on Zoom. They will also provide ASL and Spanish translation.

Congratulations to all the students for their hard work on their projects which were focused on helping strengthen the Latino community with resources and support!

Graduation will be held May 20th at Edmonds College, Woodway Hall Room 202 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Stay tuned for more information about the LLI graduation!
Students, check your emails and please RSVP with the total number of friends/family that will be in attendance.

Click to view the Graduation Program and Agenda

Saturday May 13th, we saw groups of students from Edmonds College, Skagit Valley College, and the University of Washington- Bothell present their LLI group project. See the attached agenda below of this event that took place in person at the Skagit Valley College campus.

The Edmonds College group spoke about their Community Online Database with resources in education, health, and behavioral health. Their main goals were to provide resources for mental health and handout information on Snohomish programs to help kids and parents with mental health as well as parents with connecting with kids and finishing schooling. Provide resources to Latino community to identify companies with Spanish speaking services.

The Skagit Valley College group spoke about bringing awareness about mental health and mental illnesses. Provide help and options for how to physically get out and get involved in activities.

The University of Washington- Bothell group shared about how their goals each session depended on what the students were looking for. The group wanted to make sure they were able to help and give crucial information to these high school students, whatever was needed, especially in regards to continuing their education.

If you are a current or former participant in Latino Leadership Initiative, you are invited to join the LLI Alumni Assn. All former speakers, organizers and staff are also encouraged to join.

We have launched with only current members already enrolled. We will be adding login data and notifying others with whom we are still in touch. If we fail to include you, it may be due to a change in your contact data; feel free to inform us using the Contact link on the About page.

The basic features of the LLI Alumni Assn. are now active. Current students are enrolled; previous students can be added (a few are named but without class years).

Members can
1. Sign into the site.
2. Create Updates (personal messages to the group with optional text, link, image). These echo on the home and Members pages.
3. Send private messages to other members.
4. Participate in the Forums, either by commenting or creating topics.

Qualified or selected members can also be given blog access, with or without prior approval.

The purpose, of course, is future recruitment and support as participants advance in their careers.

During testing & shakeout all is public; we may later put content behind login requirement. We are also not yet distinguishing active membership from alumni status, so some information may appear in both contexts.

Suggestions from active users are welcome.


To sign in, click the link below and look for the <i>Sign In</i> link atop any page.

Sixta Morel, bilingual communicator, former TV host, voice actress, and producer of the podcast Gente, Historias y Emociones, addressed the LLI students on 15 April on the topic of being prepared for public speaking.

Sixta started working in the media business as a teenager, and has had the opportunity to work in front and behind the camera, in different roles, including tv host, Emcee, voice over talent, and acting. Born in the Dominican Republic, and established in Seattle, Sixta works independently as voiceover actress (audiobook narrator, dubbing actress, e-learning presenter, commercial, etc.) and on-camera talent, and as public speaking trainer.

Graduated as radio and TV broadcaster, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, and certificates in Cultural Journalism (DR) and Public Relations and Strategic Communications from University of Washington, and a dubbing certification from A Voz academia in Colombia.

As Master of ceremonies, she has hosted several national and international events, including private, corporates, nonprofits and bilingual presentations. Morel is trained in acting; including a summer program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NY.

This week, 15 April will see the resumption of in-person LLI sessions, starting at 10AM at the University of Washington- Bothell. Please see the agenda attached and join our presenters in discussion. This would be a good time to show up.

If you have not registered on the website, there will be no more appropriate opportunity. See Marisol or one of the other team members for instructions. When you join, you can start building your personal profile, add Updates to the members page from your profile and participate in discussion forums. You can also launch topics to share information with your project team members.

Topic: Edmonds College Group Presentation
Speakers: Maria Guadalupe Villareal, Yustine Saavedra, Liliana Ruiz, Kamilla Rayon, Monica Ortiz, Jazmin Herrera

Topic: University of Washington Bothell Group Presentation
Speakers: Brisa Barajas, Tori Sattefield, Maria Valentina Palacios, Laura Orjuela, Larissa Lima, Luis Gregorio Guerrero

Topic: Skagit Valley College 1st Group Presentation
Speakers: Berenice Macias, Rosa Soria Mondragon, Ricardo Gomez, Marcelina Mendoza, Samantha Guttierez

Topic: Skagit Valley College 2nd Group Presentation
Speakers: Roxana Guzman, Ralph Herrera, Hector Mariscal Medina, Cesar Osornio Ramos


Topic: Evaluators' Feedback on Final Projects
Evaluators:
Francisco Pacheco, President, BeTalentful Corporation
Pamela Jackson, Lead Coach and Steward, Encounter Purpose Coaching
Leonor Bejarano, Community Resource Advocate of South Snohomish County Community Information Line, Volunteers of America
Felisa Garcia, Administrative Assistant, Social Studies, Edmonds College

Attend May 14th Session

Topic: Multicultural Leadership
Speaker: Dr. Laura Flores Cailloux, Department Chair/Faculty for Sociology & Ethnic Studies, Skagit Valley College

Topic: Expectations for Formal Presentations in a Professional Western Setting
Speaker: Angela Logan, Faculty in Communication Studies, Advisor in Black Student Union, Skagit Valley College

Topic: Careers for the Greater Good
Speaker: Christina Tovar-Hamernik, WorkSource Lynnwood Site Manager, Employment Security Department

Attend March 5th Session

Topic: Leadership Stories
Panel Members: Superintendent of Edmonds School District, Dr. Gustavo Balderas, Superintendent of Shoreline School District, Dr. Susana Reyes, and Skagit Valley Councilmember Juan Morales

Topic: Culturally Responsive Practices - Engage in Community
Speaker: Dr. Sally Guzman, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, Edmonds School District

Topic: Community Project Plan Presentations

Attend February 12th Session

Topic: Team Formation and Project Planning
Speaker: Dr. Laura Cailloux, Department Chair/Faculty for Sociology & Ethnic Studies, Skagit Valley College

Topic: Unveiling Inequality and Racism
Speaker: Dr. Farhana Loonat, Department Chair for Political Science, Philosophy and International Studies, Skagit Valley College

Topic: Movie Reflection and Discussion: Harvest of Empire Documentary
Speaker: Juan Peralez, President, Unidos of Snohomish County

Topic: La Pasion del Lider
Speaker: Dr. Francisco Rios, Professor Emeritus and Former Dean of Secondary Education, Woodring College of Education

Attend January 29th Session

Topic: LLI Overview & Video
Speaker: Christina Castorena, Vice President for Student Success, Edmonds College

Topic: LLI 2021-2022 Student Introductions
Speaker: Rosario Reyes, Founder & CEO of LETI

Topic: Panel of Elected Officials
Moderator: Marisol Bejarano, LETI Health & Wellness Coordinator
Panel Members: Skagit County Councilmember Iris Carias, Former WA Represnetative Luis Moscoso, Former WA Representative Velma Veloria

Topic: History and Contributions of Latinos in WA State
Speaker: Dr. Antonio Sanchez, Former Director of Intergovernmental and Internation Relations at Central Washington University

Attend January 22nd Session

Topic: Introduction to LLI Mentors & Video
Speaker: Rosario Reyes, Founder & CEO of LETI

Topic: Student Participation, Expectations and Aspirations & Service Learning Project Guidelines
Speaker: Marisol Bejarano, LETI Health & Wellness Coordinator

Topic: Team Building Activity
Speaker: Beth Wangen, Volunteer Coordinator, WSU Extension, Snohomish County 4-H

Attend January 15th Session

All participants are encouraged to keep notes and add commentary during their LLI experience. (Updated for 2021.)

Journaling provides contemporaneous notes that add to your effectiveness as a leader.

Journaling adds to the collective experience of the LLI community now and in the future.

Journaling helps you set expectations and measure results for yourself and the other members of your project team(s).

Journaling at LLI should include keeping a notebook with you at all times, writing daily or weekly summaries, and posting key information to your member profile, a forum, or the blog.

More on journaling

We have creating Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI) to train local Latino students to be leaders, not only in words, but in action. We have (2012-2021) trained some 250 participants from 5 different colleges in four Washington counties.

LLI graduation requires completion of a project to assist the community with real and tangible results. We will emphasize helping young latinos to graduate from high school, because too many Latino kids are dropping out of school, and that affects the future of entire families.

This program aims to teach our youth to be multiplying agents, i.e. not only worry about their own betterment, but also the personal and social development of the people who surround them. A true leader inspires others to be better.

We need your help to fund this project. We will keep all donors informed about the use of funds and the results of the projects. Any amount helps. If we all donated the amount of a ticket or non-essential item we bought in the last six months, we would have enough to fund this program. Support opportunities appear in several places on the site starting here.

As this leadership Institute is administered by Latino Education & Training Institute (LETI), every contribution is tax deductible.

Thank you for your generosity.

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