Forty-four students from three colleges graduated from the Latino Educational Training Institute’s (LETI) Latino Leadership Initiative at University of Washington Bothell last Saturday. These students – from Edmonds College, University of Washington Bothell and Skagit Valley College – have participated in leadership training, networking and mentorship while working on community service projects that empower themselves and address the needs of Latino communities.
“You have shown us your sensitivity, your leadership skills and we’re proud of all of you,” said LETI founder and CEO Rosario Reyes, adding that this is the Lynnwood-based organization’s 13th graduation ceremony. “Thank you for being a part of our lives. You have demonstrated your will, your drive. You have the vision and the courage to stand up and say loudly and clearly, ‘I will be involved.’”
The keynote speaker was Dr. Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, who is the senior program administrator of pediatric care coordination at First 5 Alameda County in California. She highlighted the importance of cultural identity, community service and belonging, noting that Latino gross domestic production reached $4.1 trillion in 2023 yet 87% of Latino contributions in U.S. history are not in high school textbooks.
“And this flabbergasted a lot of people,” she said. “It’s very upsetting because we have a lot of things that we have contributed. My goodness, half of the people here have done so many things in the policy world and just trying to move this world along. But that’s not being captured.”
Vásquez talked about the work she and the late Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney had done in the state Legislature to improve the health of Latino farmworkers via the BASTA Coalition of Washington.
“[Legislators] didn’t know sexual harassment was happening, and a lot of people denied it,” she said. “It was something that no one wanted to talk about. So we brought it out into the open. We actually ended up doing some trainings throughout Washington, and we still get funding from the state government to do trainings of agricultural workers to prevent sexual harassment.”
Later, student dignitaries and advisors from all campuses gave testimonials of their experiences with the Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI).
Dulce Brambila Reyes, who is in the practical nursing program at Edmonds College, said that she had never been part of any Latino organization before.
“But as we advanced in our seminars and our projects, I started learning more and more, and I realized that this is just the beginning of the greater things that we can do together, and nobody’s going to take away our unity, our beliefs, our culture and especially our roots,” she said.
Edmonds College student Mayelli Ayala, who is majoring in public health, said that the leadership program has given her more cultural pride and resilience.
“Programs like LLI are essential in cultivating leaders who reflect the diverse community they serve by empowering Latino students to take a leadership role across various sectors like education, health care or public services,” she said. “We ensure that our perspective and experiences inform decision-making processes. I’m honored and am grateful for Rosario and her team for creating the space of inclusivity that fosters a more equitable society where challenges are met with adversity is transformed into opportunities.”
Rosario Reyes said that the leadership initiative has expanded to Shoreline Community College, and graduates from that campus will be part of next year’s ceremony.
“We intend to really help students get [the] right way into leadership roles in the community so we can really energize the community,” she said. I’m sure all agree, especially in these times, we need these young leaders to [to be] in this program.”
More graduation photos here.
