Latina Leadership Initiative

About the Mentoring Program

The Latina Leadership Initiative curriculum promotes heightened awareness of social responsibility and attention to the needs of the local Latino/a/x community, and is based on the principle that development of young Latina leaders enhances our entire community. What makes this program successful is the dedicated mentors that create an all-encompassing experience that allows participants to see exactly how each topic affects them, and how their talents can, in turn, affect change in those areas. Below are some things we focus on throughout the mentoring experience.

Committed

We required mentees to meet with their mentors at least once a month for 1 year via communication method(s) agreed upon between mentor and participant. Your time commitment is dependent on how much time you want to invest.

Compassionate

Participants have the best experience during the leadership program because of mentors who care and support them during their personal and professional development.

Dependable

A dependable and trustworthy mentor is vital to meet the success of our participants during their personal and professional development.

Supportive

A supportive mentor leaves an impact on mentees and build long-lasting relationships. We are also here to support the experience as a mentor.

Diversity

We value diversity in thought, race, gender, and background. Unique perspectives of mentors impact the personal and professional growth of their mentees.

Feedback

Every year, we take the time to ask mentors feedback to make the mentorship program better for participants.

For more information, please review the mentor application or email us.

Testimonials

"Thanks to LLI I felt like I came back to life. I started to believe in myself again. I remembered how much passion I have for so many things such as reading, learning and that I have always been thirsty for learning more and have been very curious. I learned to be confident of myself and I redefined myself again.”
Blanca Plascencia
Alumni
“We are a new generation of Latinas who are proud in using our voice and unapologetic in exercising our power. We are proud of our heritage, where we come from, and are not afraid to continue to blaze a trail that has been set by our predecessors. We bring value to our community by being our authentic selves and staying true to who we are.”
Lillian Sanchez
Alumni
Cueponi Cihuatl currently works as a dual language Spanish teacher in West Liberty, Iowa and she shared that she greatly enjoyed the service project when she participated in LLI. Her service project was about breast cancer awareness and even now she continues to advocate on behalf of this cause.
Cueponi Cihuatl Espinosa
Alumni
Jessica Mena Flores was very thankful to learn from different speakers and about different careers when she participated in LLI.
Jessica Mena Flores
Alumni