Creative Director Jaime Salm of MIO, a sustainable design lab based in Philadelphia, is living proof that the “trend” of green living is more factually a deeply rooted lifestyle. As designer, researcher, and manufacturer, he fills his days inventing feasible ways to merge the concepts of environmental utility to every day practicality. Jaime and his co-founder/brother, Isaac, focus on projects that develop wares which are easily recycled, shipped, disposed, and dissembled. Some of these products to date include wallpaper, lighting, shelving, and flooring, with tables and seating in the pipeline of developed products. Growing up with a hankering to tinker with objects around the house, Jaime never really foresaw that this everyday past time would become his sustaining career; but with business booming monthly, the pieces are in place for many professional sucesses to come. For more information on Jaime Salm, read on in this week’s The Latin Connect to learn how MIO makes green design accessible, affordable, and fun!
Failing Chemistry never ended so well. Mary Castillo was a second year pre-med student at USC when things began unraveling. During a trip to Sedona, for Spring Break, she walked into a gift shop and picked up a Storyteller Doll. Mary knew in that moment that the goal she was working towards was not her true dream. She realized that her plan of becoming a doctor, making lots of money, and retiring early to write, would not work for her. Instead, she decided that she would have to take a risk and follow her passion in writing, a chance that paid off. To date, she has written
five books and continues to write every other day for eight hours. To learn more about Mary and her life as a writer read on in this week’s Young & Professional profile.
At age 21, Michelle Landin is making her life count. She’s part of a team at Project Cuddle, an organization that provides pregnant women in crisis help, advice, encouragement, and a friend. The goal of the organization is stop baby abandonment, and it does this through its various awareness programs. Michelle started at Project Cuddle as part of a volunteer assignment for school. She fell in love with the group and even after she completed her assignment she wanted to continue to do more. Michelle’s desire to be a part of such an organization comes from her upbringing and specifically some wise words from her mother “leave things better than how you found them.” To read more about Michelle and Project Cuddle read on in this week’s Non-Profit spotlight
Think of a few networking sites you have registered for – whether for dating, professional, or entertainment purposes. The accessibility to join any e-group is beyond comprehension, and for as popular as this trend has become just among your circle of friends alone, think about how many more people around the world are jumping at this phenomenon too. As millions of internet users prop themselves up in front of the screen at home and millions more pour into internet cafes, many people are choosing with great selectivity which networking site – specifically which social networking site – suits them best. For Daniel Kafie, Chief Executive Officer of Vostu.com, he made the selection process easy by designing Vostu specifically for Latin Americans both local and abroad. In 2006, this 24-year-old Harvard MBA found a market relatively untapped and leapt forward to create one of the strongest Latino-centered websites with mounting numbers of hits and registered users daily. Working to expand the user base, Daniel leads a 30 person team to keep up with his speed of light successes and continual opportunities to enhance client services. For more information on Daniel and Vostu.com, read more in this week’s The LatinConnect to learn about your newest social networking site.
Directing the faith-based and university-focused educational organization Reality Changers, Cecelia Villegas (age 18) fills her days developing learning tutorials for teens, outreach projects, and speaking engagements. She works with inner city youth in and around San Diego, California, to build their academic and community service resumes and also to engage them in activities not associated with inner city life such as gang and drug involvement. Cecelia says that while her hours are filled either focusing on Reality Changers or on her full school schedule at Point Loma Nazarene University, there is absolutely no bad part to her day or her responsibilities as Site Director. In guiding her teens through new SAT vocabulary or the university application process, she says the time is consuming and obstacles are many, but she is helping to mold hundreds of first generation college students become community leaders and future mentors. Learn more about Reality Changers and the successes Cecelia Villegas is helping to build in this week’s The LatinConnect.
When her artistic side bloomed by age five and when her professional career launched at age 10, her family knew there was something different, rare, and intriguing about her. Elizabeth Torres, age 19, has experienced a lifetime’s worth of international travel, speaking engagements, and art showings all highlighting her abilities to speak, create, and develop new motivational concepts. An average week for Elizabeth might include meeting with student groups, writing new poetry, speaking on a radio show, attending university classes, or engaging in discussion with the nation’s corporate leaders. Nothing is out of reach for this young woman! With professional accolades and the vital support of her family behind her, Elizabeth begins every day with fresh eyes and a passion to explore the natural beauty in everyone and every environment. Read on to see where all of this energy originates and what lessons you might take away from Elizabeth’s work in this week’s The LatinConnect.
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