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Two Heads Are Better
Than One? How About 100?
Ten years ago, Hispanic women across the country
were taking charge of their own destinies by
pursuing college degrees and establishing
businesses. With the goal of empowering these gutsy
pioneers, a group of determined Latina
professionals, business owners and community
activists in New York City envisioned a unique
organization.
The organization would have 100 founding members who
would give back to their communities and provide
each other with career and social opportunities that
they wouldn’t otherwise have. It would be “a group
where we would give women a forum to speak out and
network,” says Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski, a
founder of the organization who would become its
president. “Something to encompass all Latina
women.”
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The organization is 100 Hispanic Women, and since
its inception in 1995 it has grown to about 700
members and become one of the leading nonprofit
organizations serving Hispanic women in the state of
New York. And more big things are yet to come. A
second chapter in Westchester County has been going
strong for three years, a Long Island chapter will
be inaugurated soon, North Jersey is ready for its
chapter, and Chicago might also start one. The group
promotes diversity and is diverse itself — 100
Hispanic Women is roughly 85 percent Latina, with
men and non-Hispanic women making up the difference.
“We do not discriminate,” says Remeneski. |
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Shirley
Rodriguez Remeneski, founder and
president of 100 Hispanic Women |
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The group is comprised of “women in all walks of
life. We have attorneys, corporate managers and
CEOs, people that work for public service, women
that own their own businesses including non-profits
— even one woman who owns her own airline,” says
Milagros Baez O’Toole, a founding member who serves
as the organization’s treasurer and a mentor to
younger Latinas.
100 Hispanic Women works to influence public policy
by tackling issues directly affecting the Hispanic
community, including education, housing, health
care, technology, job placement, networking,
financial management, and work/life issues while
inspiring Latinas to be leaders in their communities
and workplaces.
“We get involved in issues that pertain to Latinas
or women in general — issues that affect our quality
of life,” says O’Toole. They do so by putting
together petitions, providing information and
“outreaching the individuals who may be responsible
to hear what we have to say,” she continues. “Our
main focus is on working with Latinas to promote
their status in the business world.”
The group holds various workshops addressing topics
ranging from stress management and financial
planning to mental illness and obesity. A recent
event included guest speakers New York City Deputy
Mayor for Legal Affairs Carol A. Robles-Roman, and
Carmen Pacheco and Betty Lugo of Pacheco & Lugo, the
first Hispanic women-owned law firm in New York.
Their speeches stressed how much tougher it is for
Latinas to climb the ladder in any industry and the
importance of exactly what 100 Hispanic Women is all
about — networking. Other guest speakers in the past
have included California Congresswoman Loretta
Sanchez; Sila Calderon, the governor of Puerto Rico;
and Ida L. Castro, chairwoman of the U.S. Equal
Opportunity Commission.
To ensure that tomorrow’s influential Latinas have
access to an education to pave their way to
successful careers, 100 Hispanic Women created the
Young Latinas Leadership Institute in 2002, now a
large part of its mission. YLLI is a four-year
scholarship program tracking Latina students who are
mentored throughout their undergraduate years.
Scholarship recipients are chosen based on meeting
different criteria, including a 3.0 grade point
average or better, community service involvement,
and the completion of an internship either with 100
Hispanic Women or another organization.
“A lot of women are very proud of this piece of our
organization,” says Remeneski. YLLI aims
particularly to assist “inner-city” Latinas
(applicants must be enrolled at a CUNY college, the
largest urban university in the country).
Lorraine Lara, a 2003 YLLI recipient, is a
second-year CUNY Brooklyn College communications
major who went to high school in Puerto Rico. When
she moved to New York for college, she was faced
with a doubled tuition. “That really hit me pretty
hard,” says Lara. “ The scholarship really helped me
a lot. ... I’m basically studying abroad.” When Lara
came to New York feeling “alone,” working with 100
Hispanic Women helped her settle into her new
surroundings and grow confident in herself and her
plans for her future.
“Because I came from Puerto Rico and didn’t really
know anybody, [the organization] really helped me to
establish myself better, to get to know the right
people,” says Lara. “The leadership qualities we
learn [are] really amazing. Now is when we [as
college students] make the biggest decisions of our
lives.”
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Remeneski with
participants in the Young Latinas Leadership
Institute and 100 Hispanic Women interns |
Victoria Rodriguez, a senior-year finance and
investments major at CUNY Baruch College, has
interned at 100 Hispanic Women since 2002 and is
active in the organization. She also attends the
workshops, which she finds “very motivating. Seeing
these powerful Latinas in these positions makes me
think, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’”
When Rodriguez announced she was graduating soon,
Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski was instrumental in
arranging an interview for her at Lehman Brothers,
an investment firm and 100 Hispanic Women sponsor.
The interview led to a summer internship, and, based
on her performance, Rodriguez was offered a
full-time job as a financial analyst upon
graduation.
Rodriguez has nothing but praise for 100 Hispanic
Women when she discusses her experiences and the
opportunities made available to her. “When I first
came to the organization, I learned so much,” she
says. “I’m building a foundation for a successful
career, given the network I’ve built through the
organization and having Shirley in my corner.”
100 Hispanic Women’s mission is infectious, and
Rodriguez plans to carry it with her into her
future. “What I’ve learned,” she says, “is the
importance of helping other women on their journeys
toward success.”
To contact 100 Hispanic Women, go to
www.100hispanicwomen.org or call (212) 239-1430. |
