History
More than ten years ago, a few ladies found they shared a
desire to help young Hispanics learn to appreciate the value of a good education
and to achieve their dreams through education. They decided to focus on helping
young Latina women by
awarding scholarships to those who demonstrate strong
leadership skills, are involved in the community and pursue a 4 year
college
education. This was the foundation for the Miss Latina Racine Scholarship
Corporation. The fledgling organization
faced its first major challenge,
raising the funds needed to award the scholarships. With the help of friends,
family,
community leaders and business owners, they were able to raise enough
money to award scholarships totaling $1,000 to 6
young Hispanic women. There
was no fancy banquet that first year and certainly no money to rent a hall. So
the women
turned to Juan Jaramillo to ask if he would allow them time to conduct
a small program, present the young women to the Judges and award their
scholarships during one of his dances at Memorial Hall. Since then, the Miss
Latina Racine
Scholarship Corporation, with the help of many supporters and
contributors, has grown. Perhaps modestly, by some
standards, but grown none the
less to now awarding up to $5,000 in total scholarship funds annually. In
addition, the
organization now has 3 affiliated scholarships awarded at its
annual banquet. The Leonor Gonzalez Memorial Scholarship,
Cruz-Rendon
Scholarship and Ernest and Margaret Malacara Scholarship each award $1,000 to
recipients, bringing the
total annual scholarships awarded through the Miss
Latina Racine Scholarship Corporation to $8,000.
However, the Miss Latina Racine Scholarship Program is
about more than just scholarship money. It’s about nurturing and
developing
leadership abilities in young Latina women by creating opportunities for them to
be a role model within the
Hispanic community. Through association with the
Unsung Heroes Awards, Por La Gente Organization, Gamma Alpha
Omega Sorority and
the Hispanic Business and Professionals Association, each Miss Latina Racine is
able to get involved
and give back to the Hispanic community.
The past recipients of the Miss Latina Racine Scholarships have gone on to various pursuits.
(1998)
Angelica Valdivia graduated in December of 2000 from
Alverno College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and
minors in Social
Science and Spanish Language & Culture. She also went on to earn her Master of
Science degree in
Education Psychology, specializing in Guidance Counseling from
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May of 2004.
She is currently a
Guidance Counselor with the Racine Unified School District at Gilmore Middle
School. Her desire is to
continue her education and earn a PhD.
(1999)
Ivanna Renteria graduated from
Alverno college with a Bachelor's degree in English with a Biology support. She
now lives
on the New Mexico/Texas border in a town called Anthony and is the
Deputy Clerk for the Village of Vinton, Texas,
where she assists the Village
Secretary and the Mayor. She is currently going though the process to becoming
a certified
high school teacher, and planning to attend the University of Texas
at El Paso to pursue a masters degree in Latin American
and Border Studies.
Her goal is to become a professor at one of the Universities in that area and
become involved in the
local historical commissions.
(2000)
Lisset Saenz
graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater in December of 2004 with
a degree in Organizational
Communications and minors in Business Management and
Spanish. She is now living in Los Angeles doing exactly what she’s
always
wanted her entire life: pursuing a career in acting. She is also still actively
participating in various community service
programs. Lisset hopes one day you
will see your former Miss Latina Racine 2000 on the big screen and know that you
were all
a part of helping her get there
(2001)
Carmen
Martinez earned an undergraduate degree at UW-Milwaukee in Architecture then
went on to earn her Masters in
Architecture in December 2005. She’s currently
the head of the CAD Committee with Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc.
and
working toward becoming a licensed architect. She recently purchased her first
home in Milwaukee and is remodeling it.
She’s proud to say she’s still
associated with the Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority
(2004)
Carmen De La Cruz is currently a senior at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Accounting. After earning her
Bachelors Degree
in Business, she plans to continue her education and pursue a Masters Degree in
Educational
Psychology. For the past two years she has been the Assistant for
the Black and White Photography Program at the
Racine Main Gallery. Main
Gallery is a program that provides meaningful employment to youth through the
arts. Carmen
believes her greatest achievement will be in making a child’s life
better.
Although the Miss Latina Racine Scholarship Program is
neither a pageant nor a beauty contest, one can still appreciate the
beauty and
talent of all the people involved over the past 10 years……