Exito Training
October 16, 2024
Guided by her heritage and the “coqui,” support from her parents, and wisdom from God, Ana Rosa Hernandez always strives to help others. Healthy food is her main utensil for assistance. In fact, Hernandez has helped many people live healthier lives as a registered dietician who focuses on functional foods. Hernandez, who […]
October 16, 2024
Born in Chula Vista, Calif., and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Alicia Nunez experienced a unique bicultural, mestizo heritage. Nunez wants to use this cultural experience to help improve Latino health. With an attitude of “Si, se puede” (Yes, you can), Nunez earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in public […]
October 16, 2024
Having witnessed how lack of health information harms Latinos’ quality of life, Alexis Smith wants to bridge the gap between researchers and marginalized communities. Originally from Alabama, Smith is a first-year master’s-degree student in public health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her focus is in health promotion research and practice, because […]
October 16, 2024
Alexandra Conde Toro has a heart for hearing and understanding people’s stories—characteristics she developed in her native Bayamón, Puerto Rico, a culture infused with the joy and encouragement of families, folk music, and stories. Conde Toro uses her passion for her community to address health problems they suffer. Conde Toto, who has a […]
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 […]
October 16, 2024
Alelí M. Ayala-Marín, a licensed dietitian/nutritionist, is proud of her Puerto Rican roots. Ayala-Marín said her culture and heritage have made her attentive to the studying cancer health disparities in her home country, where she has earned an undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics and a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology […]
October 16, 2024
A writer once said: “Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world’s perfect food.” That is spot-on for Alejandra Ochoa. Because, just as chocolate fits well in any recipe, Ochoa is adaptable and driven to help people get healthy. Ochoa, who was born in Mexico City and immigrated to Phoenix at age 6, earned her bachelor’s […]
October 16, 2024
Discrimination. Micro-aggressions. Going back to college with kids. With a mother who overcame these hurdles as an immigrant to the U.S. from Honduras, Alejandra Mendez learned resilience. Now Mendez always looks for opportunities for success, rather than possible barriers. Her optimism has enabled her to help people similar to her mother, conducting research […]
October 16, 2024
When she was a child, Aíxa M. Pérez-Caraballo wanted to be a ballerina. Later, she wanted to go to college and find ways to improve Latino health. Both times, Pérez-Caraballo’s mother had the same encouraging words: “Great. Let’s move toward this goal.” Constant maternal support has given Pérez-Caraballo a passion to follow her dreams. She […]
October 16, 2024
Adrianna Acevedo-Fontanez celebrates her Puerto Rican heritage through music and food, such as using “el castero” to stew rice or fighting for “el pegao.” But she also knows that Puerto Ricans face dire health issues. That is why, when she sees people in need, she helps them. Her empathetic spirit and hard work […]