New Jersey’s oldest Latina-run organization, LUPE Fund Inc., partnered with Montclair State University to host the “Power of Latinas Conference: Your Rights, Your Voice, Your Future” on Friday, Oct. 10.
The event took place in University Hall’s Conference Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day was filled with guest speakers, panel discussions, valuable resources and tools for those in attendance. Latino-owned brands and vendors were also present.
The main goal of the LUPE Fund conference was to show young Latinos the possibilities for success within their community. During the panel discussions, five accomplished Latina women sat on stage one at a time and discussed the hardships of growing up in a Latino household and their educational struggles.
They shared personal stories and experiences from their own lives as well as advice and tips to be successful. There were four main pillars that LUPE Fund included in their discussions: educate, engage, empower and civic engagement.
Alyssa Cartagena, a freshman earth and environmental sciences major, emphasized the unity and collaboration among those in attendance. Sabine Louis | The Montclarion
Alyssa Cartagena, a freshman earth and environmental sciences major, emphasized the unity and collaboration among those in attendance.
“Everyone here is networking,” Cartagena said. “They are all women, Hispanic women who came from similar but different backgrounds… they all want what is best for each other and they all want to lift each other up.”
The event was open to anyone from the Montclair State community, not just those part of the Latino community, including faculty, staff and students of different backgrounds.
Junior fashion design and merchandising major Abigail Diaz shared how she learned about the event and her connection to the organization. Sabine Louis | The Montclarion
Junior fashion design and merchandising major Abigail Diaz shared how she learned about the event and her connection to the organization.
“I learned about this through the Latin American Student Organization and I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more [about] how to advocate for yourself as a Latina,” Diaz said. “Especially as someone with Latina heritage, I think it’s very important, not just as [someone from] the Latina community but also as a woman.”
The panelists shared their experiences of being a Latina and growing up in America with immigrant parents.
Although many of the panelists and guest speakers were women, the discussions were not all women-empowerment based. There were discussions ranging from pursuing an education to navigating career life as a Latino.
Elisa Charters founded the Juegos AI Lab and the Juego Juegos app. Sabine Louis | The Montclarion
Elisa Charters, founder of the Juego.Juegos app and MC of the conference, shared how the event gave those in attendance a chance to build community and strengthen their civic involvement.
“I think that it’s a great opportunity for everyone to network and to support each other,” Charters said. “Whether they’re business owners, if they’re here for professional development, personal development, civic development; this is an organization that supports civic duty.”
The event recognized the struggles of growing up in families that might not support pursuing an education, as well as the struggles of being a Latina woman in America.
Karem Ospino, panelist and vice president of the LUPE Fund. Sabine Louis | The Montclarion
Karem Ospino, vice president of the LUPE Fund, also spoke and shared the obstacles she has faced throughout her career.
Ospino highlighted the importance of the conference and their target audience.
“It’s very important because we can actually outreach younger generations, you know younger Latinas, younger women,” Ospino said. “So they understand the path that has been walked by older Latina women.”
