Stories

From Baghdad to Oregon: Israa’s Story of Civic Leadership

“I can’t tolerate any unfair things happening to anyone. I can’t stay silenced.” Read Israa’s story about how our Civic Leaders Project gave her the skills and resources she needed to take the next step in her journey to become an advocate for others in her community. READ ISRAA’S STORY

Yareli’s Story

Read about Yareli’s experience in our Chicas Program and her journey from a shy girl to a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights. READ YARELI’S STORY

What Brought Me Here Was Love: Blanca’s Story

The story of a Latina immigrant entrepreneur determined to spread love through her empanada business. "I learned that I can be more than just a housewife, that I can be a business owner.” READ BLANCA’S STORY ON CANVA

Diana’s Story

Diana immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 11 years old. “I have seen a lot of changes — a lot of racism that is still going on, especially over the last couple of years,” says Diana. See how our Immigrant Solidarity Project empowered Diana to become a local activist. READ DIANA’S STORY

Monica’s Story

After Monica immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, life was anything but easy. She was a single mother up against a language barrier and was struggling financially. See how our Adult Education Program supported Monica during the most challenging time in her life. WATCH MONICA’S STORY

The Future Nurse

Jennifer was a shy kid. She never raised her hand to ask questions in class, she didn’t socialize much, and she was embarrassed to speak Spanish in public. With the help of Chicas, all that changed, and now she’s on her way to becoming a nurse. READ JENNIFER’S STORY

Mai’s Story: Becoming a Civic Leader and Finding Your Power

Decision-making rooms in this country have, for too long now, been filled with white men. As our country becomes more diverse, so should our leaders. One of the most recent participants of the program is Mai, who knew she wanted to become a civic leader, but wasn’t sure where to start. READ MAI’S STORY

Emotional Trauma and Latinas: Realizing What You Are Worth

Many Latina women have suffered some sort of emotional trauma in their life, with sexual abuse being the highest cause. Racism, sexism, domestic violence, and economic disparities are also common sources of trauma for the women who walk in our doors. See how our Beyond Trauma Program is helping women heal. READ ON MEDIUM

Opening The Drawer

“I was a teacher back in Mexico,” says Estela. “When I got here I didn’t have papers. I didn’t want to stay here. I always wanted to go back. I applied to many jobs and the first thing they always said was ‘You have to show your papers’.” READ ESTELA’S STORY

How to Become a Community Leader

When women enroll in our Adult Education program, every woman comes in her own goal in mind. Sometimes she wants to get her GED, othertimes she wants to learn English. No matter her goals, every woman leaves our program with one thing: leadership skills. READ MORE

Mago Dreamed of Owning Her Own Business

As a young mother with three children, reaching for her dreams hasn’t always been easy. But this strong, independent woman never gave up. WATCH VIDEO

Empowering Her

Every day we work to empower Latina women and their families. This is how we empower. WATCH VIDEO

Meet The Restaurant Owners Who Are Helping Us Build A Just Society.

Bryan and Marcos, co-owners of ¿Por Qué No? Taqueria in Portland, serve up some of the best tacos in the area. Now, they are giving back in a major way, carving the way for more Latina empowerment in their community. READ ON MEDIUM

After a childhood full of violence and poverty, Lizeth is reaching for her dream of college.

As she tells the story of her life, it becomes vividly clear just how strong she is. READ ON MEDIUM

Our Dancing Teacher

Meet Hortensia, one of our Early Childhood Education teachers. READ ON MEDIUM

How We Are Building Immigrant Rights Activists

Rebeca is Mexican-American. Her parents are both undocumented. Now, she’s learning how to become a change-making immigrant rights activist. READ ON MEDIUM

Carving a Small Business from the Ground Up

As a child growing up in Mexico, Adrian dreamed of moving to the U.S. and starting his own business. See how Adrian has combined his love for art a business. READ ON MEDIUM

When a STEM Summer Camp Changes Your Life

Latina women are severely under-represented in STEM fields. In the U.S., only 3% of science and engineering masters , and fewer than 1% of PhD’s ,  are awarded to minority women. Our Chicas STEM camp is changing that for girls like Roxy. READ ON MEDIUM

The Empowerment of a Chica

Briana was painfully shy when she was little. As a bright student in elementary school, her inability to speak up for herself was affecting her learning. But when she began Chicas, things started to change. WATCH VIDEO

Why I Fight

Produced for Fiesta of Hope 2018, this short film featuring the stories of four of our Chicas participants aims to show the strength and resilience these young women have. WATCH VIDEO

“The biggest challenge in my life has been the fear of doing new things.”

Margarita made it through the 9th grade in school. She was the oldest of twelve siblings in Mexico, and her parents couldn’t afford to support her anymore. She’s been working ever since then. But with support, she’s on a journey to get a GED and a fulfilling career. READ ON MEDIUM

Getting To College As a First-Generation Latina

Daniela and Isbeidy are cousins who grew up living two very different lives. But, they both have the same goal — to be the first person in their family to go to college. READ ON MEDIUM

“We know we have potential, and education helps us go higher.”

As Angel is learning in his bilingual preschool classroom, Angelica is a few steps away learning English and taking GED classes. For this family, everyone is learning. READ ON MEDIUM

Underrepresented Communities Empowered To Lead

Meet Blake. He’s always wanted to be part of the decision-making process within local government. READ ON MEDIUM

An immigrant’s story of what it truly means to never give up.

Poverty, homelessness, fear — Lucia has lived it all. But this hardworking, brave woman never gave up on her small business dreams. READ ON MEDIUM

Eating Healthy and Making Friends

Our Chicas program covers a lot of topics, including how to eat healthy. But for girls like Jocelyn, it’s more than that. It’s about making friends. READ MORE

Brianda refused to give up. Now she’s giving back.

Brianda crossed the U.S.-Mexico border when she was six years old. She’s one of our Chicas Youth Facilitators and is on a mission to empower Latina girls. WATCH VIDEO

Finding Peace at ESPERE

Jaime was skeptical when he and his wife signed up for Beyond Trauma. In Mexico, it's not common for men to say "I'm sorry,”. READ MORE

Araceli’s Story

She’s an entrepreneur and a chef. You’ll get mesmerized watching her cook. And her journey towards her dreams is nothing short of inspiring. WATCH VIDEO

Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the plant.

Álvaro and Edna immigrated to the U.S. over 20 years ago in search of a better life and more opportunities. Lovers of gardening, they are on a journey to start their own small farm business. READ MORE

Meet Yanet and See How Produce RX Changed Her Life

After her daughter passed away, Yanet dealt with her grief by turning to unhealthy food. See how our Produce RX class changed her life. READ MORE

As a bilingual student, school is anything but easy.

Yolanda grew up bilingual, and as a young child she struggled to pass tests that were in English. But now she’s building an airplane about to graduate as the valedictorian of her class. WATCH VIDEO