Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas

Dear HWNT Members and Friends,

I am so delighted to inform you that the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Fort Worth Chapter, Latinas in Progress (LIP) Education Series had its first session, College 101 this past Saturday October 3^rd at UTA.  I wanted to share with you the success of LIP College 101 Module and congratulate the many individuals who made it happen!

First of all, Admissions Counselor, Adam Pitts and Vice President of UTA, Dr. Frank Lamas did a wonderful job hosting us and accommodating all our students, parents and volunteers.  Many thanks for providing not only the facility but for graciously speaking to our students about the opportunities at UTA and the importance of pursuing higher education.  Did I mention that they also provided breakfast, an all you can eat lunch at the Connections Café, and an afternoon snack!  WOW!

Additionally, thanks to Dr. Catalina Garcia for the great delivery of her “I measure up!” presentation.  As always, she inspired many students, volunteers, and members.  We greatly appreciate her words of encouragement!

A special thanks to our very own Dr. Tangie Cuascud Vega for sharing her life story and speaking to the students about how to overcome the challenges and adversity they may encounter on their way to college and journey towards success. Thanks to her Telemundo interviewed 2 Latinas In Progress students on how Dr. Tangie impacted their lives. Stay tuned for her segment as a Hispana Heroina!

Another special thanks to our very own Susie Soto-Olmos and Belinda Ramos from TCCD Northwest Campus for addressing the importance of financial aid and for guiding our students through the FAFSA/TAFSA process.  Also, we are so grateful that Charim Guadarrama, FWISD Student Engagement & Completion, addressed Senate Bill 1528 and the DREAM Act.  Many of our students had great questions and they benefited from learning about their options.

Furthermore, thanks to Dr. Danna Diaz and FWISD Student Engagement and Completion for extending their resources.  Not only did we have great volunteers, we were also able to have a professional translator and translating devices for our Spanish speaking parents!  This has been the most high tech session we’ve ever had!  Thanks also to Erica Marez for the icebreaker activity for our students, what a great way to get the session going so early in the morning!

I’d also like to thank our members who were present, Christina Elbitar, Judy Perez, Diane Salazar, Diana Pitman, and Anna Alvarado.  They all contributed to the success of College 101!

Lastly, I hope that you can join me in congratulating two of our newly appointed LIP Interns, Maria Alonso, senior Trimble Tech HS, and Daisy Castro, senior, Northside HS.  These returning LIP students did a wonderful job on their first day of the internship!  What a great way to enhance their resume and to give back to HWNT.  We are so proud of you guys!

I hope that you can join us at our next session, Latinas in Power Module at UNT on November 14^th (more details to follow soon).  We are still accepting Madrinas so if you would like to make a difference in a young Latina’s life I encourage each of you to step up and be a mentor!  It’s extremely rewarding!

Till next time,

Victoria Ruiz

Education Chair

HWNT - Fort Worth Chapter

Mobile: 817.913.8819

fw-education@hwnt.org

www.hwnt.org

fortworth Fort Worth Adam Pitts, Belinda Ramos, Charim Guadarrama, College 101, Daisy Castro, Dr Catalina Garcia, Dr Frank Lamas, Dr Tangie Cuascud Vega, FWISD, Latinas In Progress, LIP, Maria Alonso, Susie Soto-Olmos, TCCD northwest campus, University of Texas at Arlington, UTA, Victoria Ruiz

HWNT_FW Goes Uptown

by Pat Alva-Green Vice Chair for PR and Communications

On Friday, September 4^th, the Social-List non-profit organization held their monthly mixer at Aura Uptown. The featured non-profit organization was the Fabulous HWNT Fort Worth Chapter. Several of the HWNT members;  Pat Alva-Green, Nancy Galvan, Dolores Lukach, Diane Salazar and Victoria Ruiz mixed and mingled with over 100 attendees. An area was beautifully setup to showcase the organization, promote the upcoming Latina Art Show, recruit members, sponsors and art donations.

The Social List organization gave Pat Alva-Green, PR Vice Chair, the opportunity to speak to all the attendees about the great work HWNT is doing.  M Strategies, a corporate partner, provided the opportunity for HWNT-FW to be the featured non-profit organization and also facilitated key introductions with the media, potential sponsors and members.

fortworth Fort Worth Aura Uptown, Diane Salazar, Dolores Lukach, HWNT FW, Latina Art Show, M Strategies, Nancy Galvan, Pat Alva-Green, Social List, Victoria Ruiz

Mickey Loves HWNT

We have WOO! How’ bout you?
By Christina Elbitar
7/27/09
Strengths Finder Recap

Disney says that everything is magic in the Magical Kingdom. So, Susie Olmos Soto, Mary Ann Kellam and I went in search of the magic as fellows of MANA’s Avanzamos Leadership training in Orlando, Florida. One of the biggest discoveries was the $5,000 dollar Gallup University Strengths Finder evaluation we received for free. We learned the 34 themes of talent that everyone has, and studied the top five signature themes that are the most dominant in our own lives. We received a list of all of our strengths in order, but remaining true to the Gallup theory we focus on our strengths and manage the weaknesses. Needless to say, we found our pixie dust.
The Gallup Organization suggests that to be the most effective in your career, daily life, and family you must understand your strengths and their behaviors. A true understanding of our past success is a culmination of maximizing those top 5 strengths. Connie Moya from Gallup showed us how to use our strengths within a team and meet the four basic needs of all followers: trust, compassion, stability, and hope. (as identified from a Gallup poll of 10,000 followers)
Using my new skills, I evaluated our own HWNT_FW Chapter. Granted a chapter can’t take the test, but I took the role of the self-taught unofficial Gallup evaluator.

1. Woo -We love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. We derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person. In our world there are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met yet — lots of them. We are a rare breed as most do not have Woo high on their list of strengths….and yes we say “WOO”. Chapter Woo’s: Eva Bonilla FW and Mary Ann Kellam Dallas

2. Maximizer - We focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. We seek to transform something strong into something superb.

3. Arranger- We organize, but we also have a flexibility that complements this ability. We like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

4. Developer- We recognize and cultivate the potential in others. We spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

5. Positivity- We have an enthusiasm that is contagious. We are upbeat and can get others excited about what we are going to do. Positivity and Woo as a top five are even more rare…just ask Mary Ann Kellam and Eva Bonilla.

6. Relator- We enjoy close relationships with others. We find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

7. Futuristic- We are inspired by the future and what could be. We inspire others with our vision of the future.

8. Context- We enjoy thinking about the past. We understand the present by researching the history.

9. Achiever- We have a great deal of stamina and work hard. We take great satisfaction from being productive

10. Activator- We make things happen by turning thoughts into action. We are often impatient.

As a chapter of 113 fabulous members, our top five is really a top ten. Our strengths are fierce and at any given moment our membership brings all of the 34 strengths to the table. So, I may not have Woo but the HWNT_FW chapter certainly does.

Here are the strengths of some of our chapter members that received the Strengths Finder Analysis:

Christina Elbitar, HWNT_FW Chair
1. Strategic
2. Ideation
3. Connectedness
4. Futuristic
5. Relator

Susie Olmos Soto, HWNT State Chair of Membership
1. Relator
2. Developer
3. Adaptability
4. Harmony
5. Empathy

Mary Ann Kellam, HWNT State Secretary
1. Positivity
2. Strategic
3. Arranger
4. Woo
5. Includer

Eva Bonilla, HWNT_FW State Representative
1. Includer
2. Positivity
3. Communication
4. Input
5. Woo

HWNT FABULOUS POWER FACTS:

1. Purchase the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Included in the book is a unique code that will allow you to take the same test we took online. You will receive an evaluation of your 34 strengths. GOOD LUCK!
http://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Upgraded-Discover-Strengths/dp/159562015X

2. HWNT_FW also sent 6 Latinas In Progress Hermanitas and 1 Chaperone (Victoria Ruiz) to the Hermanitas Leadership Institute in Orlando, Florida.

3. Mary Ann Kellam, Susie Olmos Soto, and Christina Elbitar were among the 19 fellows chosen nationwide to participate in MANA’s Avanzamos Madrina Leadership Training in Orlando, Florida. They represented the MANA de North Texas Chapter and Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas.

HWNT Meets New Wise Latinas!! We aren't the only ones out there.

Special thanks to Alma Riojas, Amy Hinojosa, and Ana Gabilondo from MANA for choosing us as fellows for the MANA AVANZAMOS training. We would also like to thank all of the speakers and leaders that trained us throughout the conference.

fortworth Fort Worth, Uncategorized Alma Riojas, Christina Elbitar, Disney, HWNT_FW, Latina In Progress, MANA, MANA de North Texas, Mary Ann Kellam, Susie Olmos Soto, Victoria Ruiz