www.hispanicacademy.com

My name is Aurora Lavado-Salinas, I had the opportunity to study law and to work as a journalist, public relations consultant, and radio broadcasting producer in my original country, Peru. I arrived in the United States in 2002 with lots of plans and projects; however, real life was different and hard from what I imagined. At the beginning I performed multiple tasks and jobs. I remember some people who used to “advise” me that it will better for me to forget all my knowledge and experience, and to start from the bottom as if nothing had happened in my former life. This was my first challenge. I decided to learn about the system of the country and to decide if I would have the courage to make my projects and dreams come true. I got a teaching credential to teach Vocational Education in Journalism Occupations, and Computer Applications. I taught computer applications in local community centers, and in the Adult Education Program of the CNUSD. It is in this way that I had my first approach to the idiosyncrasy of the Hispanic community living in Southern California. I completed a training as Court Interpreter and worked for several years providing interpretation to Hispanic people in need to understand the court and medical procedures. This experience allowed me to learn about the court and health systems of this part of the world. For three years I worked as marketing and sales director in public transportation area. This time gave me the opportunity to visit hundreds of small business in the Inland Empire, and I learned about the similarities and differences among business and cultures. While working in those projects, I volunteer as facilitator conducting several motivational workshops at the Corona Public Library, and the Corona Senior Center teaching computer to their patrons. These experiences gave me the opportunity to work for a project of bilingual storytelling run by the Library System of Riverside County and sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment. Later, together with the Riverside County Library System, I had the opportunity to develop a project of motivational workshops and computer instruction for the Hispanic community. These experiences gave me a better comprehension of this community and its possibilities. In order to understand the legal system of the country, I studied legal issues and other related trainings that motivated me to obtain the Real Estate, and the Notary Public licenses. Now, I feel part of this country, because I learned to understand it and respect it as a great place to live, although I would never forget my primary roots and traditions. This was not an easy task, however, I feel proud of myself because the time and efforts invested in this route prepared me to be ready to accomplish my dreams. It is important to mention that nothing would be possible without a strong faith in God who supports me, and always bring into my life the most incredible and marvelous people. It is my great desire to use all my knowledge and experience to provide both Spanish & English Speakers tools for the development of personal Leadership skills as the unique way to achieve personal goals. I have the conviction that this will help to improve the quality of life of the society as a whole. This is the foundation of the Hispanic Academy of Leadership was born, through the belief that with the correct information, training and motivation, any person can be able to develop out their talents and skills, and achieve their dearest dreams and goals.

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