Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Mia Ramirez
Colorado Springs, Colo. With a father who was a Chicano civil rights activist, it’s natural that Colorado native Ramirez and her family grew up with a strong sense of equal rights, equity, and justice. From a young age, Ramirez was taught the values of servitude, leadership and completing tasks. She went on to develop a passion for improving her community’s health, reducing health disparities, and addressing the social determinants of health. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Regis University and a master’s degree in international health and development from Boston University, Ramirez has ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Kaylee Rivera
Long Beach, Calif. With constant support from her Puerto Rican, police-officer father, Kaylee Rivera had the determination and ambition to succeed in her educational and career goals. Rivera, who earned a bachelor’s degree in health science from California State University, Long Beach, and is pursuing a master’s degree in public health, has work experience in nutrition, obesity prevention, and behavioral health. She also is a graduate mentor Fellow for the H2OLA program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After giving her first scientific presentation—“The effects of language acculturation ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Beatriz Sosa Prado
Los Angeles, Calif. Born in Mexico City, Beatriz Sosa Prado later immigrated with her family to Los Angeles. Influenced by the many challenges that immigrants encounter once they come to the United States, Sosa Prado pursued educational degrees with aims of being an advocate for them. Indeed, with the support of her family and husband, Sosa Prado earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in health science from California State University, Long Beach. She went on to become a bilingual nutritionist who helps Latina mothers in Los Angeles. Now ...
Junk food shouldn’t be the only option kids have to eat. That’s why Salud America! is presenting six new #SaludHeroes who helped give Latino kids healthier food inside and outside school. WATCH and VOTE for your favorite “#SaludHeroes of food” by Feb. 25, 2015, and be entered in a random drawing to win a FREE T-shirt and jump rope! #SaludHeroes of food are: No More “Chemical” School Food. Parents fought back against chemically enhanced burgers and paved way for fresh, healthy food for students in Fairfax, Va.
Youth for Better Restaurants. Tired of fast food, youth pushed city leaders to get improved nutritional standards for local restaurants in Watsonville, Calif.
Bye, Bye, Chocolate Milk. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, parents and school leaders worked to ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Brianda Alcazar
Bellflower, Calif. Brianda Alcazar, a California native who attended kindergarten in Sonora, Mexico, grew up with an immigrant-life experience of dual cultures, languages, and traditions. Alcazar is using this experience to identify with and help Latino immigrants. With a passion for social work that capitalizes on her strong motivation and empathy for other people, Alcazar earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from California State University, Long Beach. Her area of concentration is Latino youth and mental health. To find more ways to embody her favorite Gandhi quote (“You must be the ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Mitzy Gonzalez
Carraboro, N.C. Growing up partaking in conversations and gossip that brewed when her mom served up café con leche for guest in their home in Titusville, Fla., Mitzy Gonzalez learned how to truly appreciate people’s stories and communicate through love. Now she’s making a career of improving people’s lives. Encouraged by her parents’ love and dedication, at age 20 Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies at the University of South Florida, and at age 21 is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gonzalez’ areas ...
Latino children are more obese/overweight than their white and black peers, and they face many barriers to healthy lifestyles, studies show. Who is stepping up for Latino kids? Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children this week received a one-year, $1.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop new evidence and educational content that empowers people to drive healthy policy changes for Latino children. The new funding allows Salud America! to expand its membership, which has recruited more than 10,000 parents, leaders, academics, and advocates. The network also will conduct research reviews and policy recommendations to guide anti-obesity efforts. It also will enhance its award-winning Salud America! ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Griselda Rubio
Laredo, Texas Griselda Rubio is the definition of healthy: A vegetarian who is physically fit and taught yoga and kickboxing. Rubio, born and raised in Laredo, Texas, has applied this passion for a healthy lifestyle and a love of learning to a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in health administration—and works to manage data, coordinate patients and community relations, and help with clinical research. She also believes that “you have to be able and willing to do a little bit of everything even if it means learning a new skill.” That’s why she ...
Healthy kids need to move it, move it. That’s that focus of six new #SaludHeroes who helped give Latino kids more physical activity. Watch them all and vote for your favorite play-promoting #SaludHeroes by Jan. 27, 2015, and be entered in a random drawing to win a free T-shirt and jump rope from Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity research network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The six #SaludHeroes are: Mud Run for Kids. Elementary teachers Fred Bailon and John Soto started mud runs for students to help fight obesity in San Antonio, Texas, which is mostly Latino.
Taking a “Brain Break” in Class. A principal launched brain breaks and new physical ...
