1 The LOFT (Latinx On Fast Track) Leadership Institute Class of 2021 Student Bios Table of contents: • Business and Finance 2 • Education 21 • Engineering 42 • Entrepreneurship 68 • Health and Science 92 • Media and Entertainment 114 • Public Service 133 • Social Justice 158 • Technology 188 2 Business & Finance Diego Elías Major: Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics Heritage: Peruvian “My first interest in business and finance came from my parents,” says Diego, whose parents met while working at a bank in Washington, D.C. As he got older, his mother became an Economics professor and his father an economic consultant, so Diego grew up learning about the fields and cultivating a love for them thanks to his parents. When he got to high school, he sought every opportunity to continue expanding his business and finance knowledge base. Most recently, he has gained hands-on finance experience by helping his dad with keeping track of the profit and operating costs of his small motorcycle business. Diego has conducted research regarding economic incentives for fighting climate change and ways to improve the healthcare system’s efficiency along with professors from Radford University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Last year, he was accepted to the Virginia Summer Residential Governor’s School for STEM and the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars Program, a residential summer academy at the NASA Langley Research Center. Diego is a member of his school’s chapters of the National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society. He has a 3.98 GPA and is among the top students in his class. He has been recognized for his academic achievements and research, receiving the Rotary Academic Achievement Award, the College Board National Hispanic Recognition, and the award for Best Environmental Research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to name a few. He plans on studying Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia, or Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 3 Isabella Monroy Major: Operations Management and Business Analytics Heritage: Puerto Rican and Guatemalan Of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, Isabella has been taking business classes as part of her school's International Trade, Transportation and Tourism Program since the beginning of her high school career. The program has given her the chance to explore possible career pathways and delve into topics revolving around business leadership and management, finance and economics, and international business, among others. Beginning her junior year, Isabella has been dual-enrolled at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, where she has continued to learn about the world of business through classes like Transportation and Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Upon graduation, she will have completed 18 dual-enrollment credits and will receive a Transportation, Logistics and Cargo Security certificate. Devoted to community service and youth leadership, Isabella serves as Historian of her school's Spanish National Honor Society and is a member of its National Honor Society and Key Club. Since 2017, she has been a dedicated and loyal volunteer at Sarah's House, a local supportive housing program for homeless families. Isabella wants to make a difference as a woman and a leader in business. She will attend the University of Maryland, George Washington University, or New York University, where she will study Operations Management and Business Analytics. 4 Lucas Clavijo Major: Business Administration Heritage: Colombian Growing up playing with LEGOs, Lucas Clavijo experienced his first taste of creativity. They were the figurative and literal building blocks upon which his desire to become a “promethean problem- solver in business” was built. This spirit for innovation has since driven him academically and professionally. For instance, he has already founded his own organization, The Aux Project, which fundraised and awarded a scholarship for music production amounting to $2000. It is hardly surprising that his teachers all commend him for his attitude and work ethic, traits which set him apart from his peers. These traits have allowed him to achieve an impressive GPA of 3.90, amid rigorous coursework and extracurricular activities. In fact, he has had various awards conveyed upon him, including being named AP Scholar with Honor in 2019 and AP Scholar with Distinction in 2020. Lucas’s interest in business is acute and matched perhaps only by his commitment to the environment. In his future career, he hopes to effect a paradigm shift in business practices that focus on becoming an environmentally conscious global community. This dedication is clearly visible in his participation in groups like Citizen’s Climate Lobby and Junior States of America, in which he occupies the position of Gulf Coast Regional Mayor, and he has worked to address pertinent issues relating to environmental racism. Community service is of extreme importance to Lucas, who sees it as not only an avenue to evolve as an individual person, but also as an opportunity to create a communal sense of pride and collaboration to bolster everyone’s well- being. He is driven, he says, by the diverse array of colour and heritage that he sees in the people around him. Lucas plans to continue on his journey toward becoming a businessman by studying Business Administration at New York University, the University of Southern California, or Carnegie Mellon. 5 Julieta Silva Major: Advertising, Communications, Business Administration, Radio-Film-Television, Entrepreneurship Heritage: Mexican It is not often that one comes across such an exceptionally intelligent, inquisitive, diligent, and helpful young woman. Julieta Silva, in the eyes of her teachers and peers, is one of them. Gifted, enthusiastic, and with unlimited potential, Julieta always challenges herself by taking the most rigorous courses offered at her high school, achieving a strong GPA of 3.77 and earning the distinction of being an AP Scholar with Honors. Additionally, she is the General Manager of Change by Gen Z, the Video Coordinator of Spread the Love and the Historian of her local H.O.S.A. chapter. For Julia, her time in high school can be defined by two passions: Media Production and Business Administration. After interning at an advertising agency in Mexico, Julia decided to create her own video editing and production business to help document the lives of families who had no other means of capturing important memories. Visual communication, she says, touches people’s hearts and plays a strong role in building interpersonal relationships, and she managed to do just that through her business. Julia’s primary goal is to help her community and those around her. It is this desire to give back that inspired her to volunteer with Unidos Para Ayudar, a local group that donates food supplies to a home for children. During her time there, she has also learned important lessons that will surely help in her future in business. Leaders, she says, know how to value teamwork, as the success of a business hinges upon effective management. Being a good leader means seeing the world through someone else’s eyes and understanding their perspective. And Julia is bound to be an excellent leader in her future. She plans to study Advertising, Communications, Business Administration, Radio-Film-Television, or Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University, Boston University, or the University of Texas at Austin. 6 Kayla Goodman Major: Music Business and Entertainment Industries with Business Administration Heritage: Mexican Kayla Goodman is a natural leader and coupled with her capacity and desire to make connections with everyone she meets, she is already well on her way to becoming a business executive. As the Student Council Class President, as well as president of the National Honor Society, she continues to hone the many qualities that prepare her well for a career in business. As a sophomore, Kayla took the Travel and Tourism class at her high school, where she led a team of seniors to plan, organize and execute a field trip to the Everglades. Though stressful at times, she loved the nitty- gritty of planning and organizing her peers, all of whom were older than her. Leadership is clearly something Kayla embodies, and she has learned that no leader is great without seeking wise counsel and looking back to review decisions and actions. That’s probably why she has been so successful. In terms of community service, Kayla tutors, plays in church bands and assists her teachers. She knows that small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world, as goes the quote by Howard Zinn. She has also raised $2100 for a town in Angola where her grandmother plans to travel as a missionary later this year. Kayla is proud of her Mexican heritage and feels that it has fundamentally shaped who she is today. She also realizes that to empower this and future generations of Latinos, it is important to promote and honor cultural pride – to say the Hispanic community have worked hard is a vast understatement, and she is no exception. With a stellar GPA of 4.00, Kayla is an academically gifted student, having also been on the Principal’s Honor Roll and received an Advanced International Certificate of Education. She plans to continue on her journey to becoming a business executive by studying Music Business and Entertainment Industries with Business Administration at the University of Miami, Florida International University, or the University of Pennsylvania. 7 Cindy Ledezma Major: International Business Management with a minor in Spanish Heritage: Mexican Cindy excels as a leader, both in her community and, most significantly, at home, as the oldest daughter and right-hand to her father in her single-parent family. She had an early introduction to the business world while growing up, as she assisted her dad through the humble beginnings of his car detailing company.