As a young Latina student preparing to enter the professional space, I value the importance of community and mentorship. In October, I saw a flyer highlighting the opportunity for a conference held at Harvard University aiming to empower young Latina students, and I just knew I had to attend.

Although I was elated at the idea of setting foot on the Harvard campus and attending a conference with students who share a similar background as I do, I knew I did not have the funds to get myself to Cambridge, Massachusetts. I searched around campus and asked many sources how I could find a solution for me to attend, when one suggestion arose: asking my program’s department to sponsor me for the trip.

As a Public Relations and Advertising major, I entered the Arts and Humanities (ARHU) office, looking for an answer. I was able to meet with Madeline Perez, ARHU’s budget coordinator, and I was asked to come back with a budget proposal in order to be considered. I spent that night crafting up a detailed proposition, which included my background, an objective, a detailed breakdown of the cost of each expense, and more. The next day, I presented the budget proposal and was told my entire trip would be sponsored. I felt extremely grateful, honored, and excited for what was to come. I spent the next few months working with Madeline to book my trip in February, and this past weekend, my time had come.

It was Thursday, February 6, and I was on my way to Boston alone, yet excited. I sat on that plane, curious about what was to come. It was my first solo trip I had ever taken; traveling for business was something new to me. This was a taste of what was to come as I entered adulthood. I landed in Boston on Thursday night, by myself in a new city — this is what independence feels like. I checked into a beautiful hotel and felt honored to know that my institution would be the ones to cover the cost of this trip. My parents were extremely proud, as this opportunity is something that they have only dreamed of.

On the first day of the conference, Friday, February 7, I checked in at noon. The organizers had given us four hours after check-in to explore the Harvard campus before the conference had started. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of choices I had, but the organization that held the conference, Harvard University Latina Empowerment and Development (HULEAD), had set up a program for conference attendees to be paired with Latina Harvard students. I took a tour of my assigned partner’s Harvard dorm, the Canaday building, picked up a copy of the Harvard Independent newspaper and headed to town. I was unsure of how to spend the next four hours, ultimately deciding to walk around Harvard Square and escape the cold. I tried a local coffee shop and planned which places to hit next, walking around the streets of Harvard Square, surrounded by people from different walks of life as well as several unique restaurants and shops. 

The conference began at 4 p.m. with the co-presidents of HULEAD giving opening remarks and introducing their keynote speaker, Desi Perkins. Desi is a popular Mexican-American content creator who began her career solely creating makeup tutorials on YouTube, but then later expanded into social media content creation for her two companies. Desi was able to start her own sunglass company, Dezi, as well as a skincare brand, Deziskin.

In her keynote speech, Desi gave the audience insight into her upbringing and experience being a Latina in the content creation industry. At the time, the industry was on the rise, and she had no guidelines or insight on how to navigate the professional side of content creation. She shared a story about how, in the early stages of her career, a large company essentially stole her work from a collaboration. As a young professional with no one to guide her, she was unaware of the essential protections that should have been in her contract when dealing with situations like this.

Although it was a setback, Desi pushed through and launched a company of her own. She was able to leverage the connections she had made to assure a successful launch of her business. Her plan had worked and her products were sold out on launch day. She told the audience, “Growth happens when you do things you are not qualified to do.”

Desi also touched upon her inner turmoil when it came to her identity as a Mexican American woman. To some groups she felt too Latina, in other groups she felt not Latina enough. She assured the audience that embracing your culture and identity is the most important thing a Latinx American person can do. She inspired attendees to leverage their culture and identity when entering the workforce as students hold the important tool of insight.

The next event included multiple panels. I chose to attend the Law and Policy panel, consisting of six women in the law and policy field: Cindy Zapata, Kelly Garcia, Celina Barrios-Millner, Gladys Rodriguez-Parker, Jasmine Gonzales Rose, and Monserrate Rodriguez Colon. To open the discussion, the panelists were asked about their inspiration to work in law and policy. In addition, they discussed their experience with feeling undervalued in the workforce. One panelist, Garcia, told the audience, “It is not how you fail, it’s how you pick yourself up.”

On the second day of the conference, February 8, HULEAD held multiple panels. I chose to attend the Business and Entrepreneurship Panel, which consisted of three women who own their own businesses: Katura Valiente, Kathrine Serrano Sosa, and Natalia Hilton. They all spoke about the difficulties they faced as Latina entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of understanding your value set and worth. Valiente told the entire theater, “Self advocacy looks like preparation in the corporate world.” The panelists also emphasized leaning on and utilizing your support systems.

The following activity was a Google Workshop. Two Latinas, Claudia Hernandez and Jessenia Gutierrez, who secured positions at Google held a workshop, teaching participants how to network and leverage LinkedIn skills to gain opportunities. Hernandez and Gutierrez shared heartfelt stories about their backgrounds and upbringings. Hernandez was born and raised in Panama prior to immigrating to the United States and ultimately securing her first position at Google after graduating from Florida State University. Gutierrez was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from UC Berkeley and was able to leverage her skills to also secure a position at Google.

Together, they stressed the importance of considering the desired factors such as location of the opportunity that you’re seeking, the hourly rate or salary, the work culture, and many other factors. Hernandez told the audience, “The biggest obstacle is you.” When asked if they had any advice for young professionals trying to network, both women responded, “Be prepared and maintain conversation; it is important to be memorable.”

After the workshop, HULEAD held a networking event with some local organizations as well as Harvard University’s Graduate and Undergraduate programs.

Later that evening, HULEAD held their final event, which was an elegant celebratory dinner.  With attendees dressed in black tie attire, HULEAD presented several student-led performances such as a mariachi band, a solo acoustic song, and a group of Latin dancers. They also welcomed the final keynote speaker, Helena Gualinga.

Gualinga is a young Indigenous advocate from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in Ecuador’s Amazon. She empowered students to advocate for their communities and to stand strong in the face of uncertainty. The dinner included various Latino dishes, such as Mexican rice and beans, an assortment of meats, and plátanos. The HULEAD organization commemorated the end of the conference by hosting an after-party, only open to participants in college as well as Harvard students, which was Carnaval-themed. 

This experience has opened my eyes to what Stockton has to offer, and the doors that have opened for me because of self advocacy.