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Eva Ruiz, a self-taught artist, finds it's possible to make a living at something that comes natural, as well as, rewarding when giving back.

Eva Ruiz was never the teacher's pet in school. No matter how hard she tried, Eva just couldn't focus on taking the kind of notes her teachers expected. Instead, she filled her notebooks with another kind of note-taking that had nothing to do with school.

"I got into a lot of trouble at school," Eva admitted. "My notebooks were filled with drawings. I was never a good student."

While the rest of the class was learning history or English, Eva envisioned shapes coming alive and parading through her mind. What she saw in her mind's eye was so vivid and amazing that Eva just had to draw it -- on notebook paper.

Eventually, Eva graduated from her spiral notebooks to canvas. Her journey to being a successful artist was the second one this young Colombiana made in finding her "American Dream."

Arriving in Miami from Bogota, Colombia at the age of eleven, Eva, her sister and parents left their friends and family behind in search of a better future for themselves in the United States.

Eva Ruiz focuses on bringing her imagination to life.

For Eva, though creating art came natural to her, it was something she never seriously thought she could make a living at. So, she followed the more traditional route of answering want-ads.

Continue reading "Drawing inspiration from life proves the perfect path to finding the American Dream" »

Filed 5 de Febrero, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Winning the title of Mrs. Kentucky International 2010, Elaine Barnes Bateman uses her pageant platform to raise awareness for mentoring and adopting troubled young adults.

To look at Elaine Barnes Bateman, one can easily see how this petite, pretty Venezuelan-Cuban with the mega-watt smile was crowned Mrs. Kentucky International 2010.

What's not so easy to see is how this Latina beauty queen has overcome personal tragedy, and in the process, developed such a strong passion for mentoring troubled and abused young adults that, these days, she is officially "Mom" to a brood of twenty.

While Elaine always envisioned herself a mother, and had four children she was raising alone after a divorce, the notion of being an adoptive mother to so many wasn't on her radar until she met her second husband, William Cody Bateman.

Elaine had joined a local church after the brutal murder of her father and was mentoring young women who were victims of broken homes. However, it wasn't long before she could see past her personal grief and notice William. A single father of four boys, William was mentoring fatherless boys at the same church.

Mrs. Kentucky International 2010 Elaine Barnes Bateman

Before Elaine knew it, her and William's shared love of helping troubled young adults turned their newfound love for one another into a unique family mission.

"Each and every time a young adult enters our home, my husband and I -- with the help of the rest of the family -- begin the long process of lovingly embracing them. Never an easy task with so many issues involved: spiritually, emotionally, physically and even financially (but) we emphasize repeatedly with each young person the core foundation for what we believe -- "Parents are not raising children. They are raising parents!"

Continue reading "A crowning achievement: Sharing the beauty of family and love with troubled young adults" »

Filed 1 de Febrero, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Artist Diana Trevino-Wilson uses her creativity to create a special character named Fabil that reaches through the wall of autism to teach basic skills.

"If Walt Disney could start his empire with a cartoon mouse, anything is possible," says Diana Trevino-Wilson, artist and entrepreneur.

Artistic since the age of five, Diana has always had the gift of creating one-of-a-kind designs. Originally using her creativity to create items like beaded cloth headbands, decorative décor objects, paintings and even writing poetry, Diana found a greater calling for her artistic talent when her daughter was diagnosed with autism.

"My daughter "cooed" and looked me straight in the eyes when she was just months old," Diana remembered. "She was very normal until around the age of 2, then it seemed she could not hear, because she would not respond to my voice, her name, or situations going on around her. She was tested and followed by her doctor, and finally diagnosed around the age of 5."

In 2005, Diana began home schooling her daughter because the local elementary school didn't have an adequate classroom to meet her daughter's specific needs.

Equipped only with a GED, Diana read as much as possible about the affliction and connected with other parents of children with autism. She started gathering material and curriculum with which to teach her daughter.

"I could not find many of the items that I needed to help her learn, starting with the most basic of information. I remembered a cartoon character that I had created in 1991," Diana said. "I began to draw posters for her room, using this cartoon character, to teach her: "today, tomorrow and yesterday" as well as "morning, noon and night" concepts. I started making coloring pages and flash cards to use as well. Now I design part of her curriculum. Drawing is a part of me, but now I do it for a different reason."

The cartoon character that Diana resurrected from her art pile that she thought could reach through to her daughter was a bird, but not just any bird. It was a bird with definite attitude and a very human personality. Such a unique bird needed a unique name.

Continue reading ""Drawing" on natural talent to connect with autistic children" »

Filed 18 de Enero, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Nilki Benitez

Bel-lissima! Latin Heat's CEO and founder, Bel Hernandez, curtsied out of the limelight to promote Latinos in Hollywood.

Bel Hernandez is a Hollywood star, but she's not your typical star. Although her talent has graced television and film heavy-weights such as L.A. Law, Beverly Hills 90210, Born in East L.A. and Selena, today, Bel Hernandez's star shines brighter off camera than on.

As co-founder and president of Latin Heat, Hernandez has lead the only trade publication focused on Latino talent in Hollywood into a multi-media company which includes a magazine and website, as well as film and TV production and consulting.

Bel Hernandez

Hernandez is also President of the Latino Entertainment Institute and has served on the Board of the George Peabody Awards. Hernandez' level of success is extraordinary, her commitment to the Latino community; exemplary.

When asked about her success on and off camera in Hollywood, Hernandez states, "My tenacity for working to accomplish a goal, came from my mother. (She) was always a forward-thinking woman who worked hard to buy a house, and provide for her children."

Growing up in Boyle Heights, an area of East Los Angeles, things were not easy for the Hernandez family. "I remember having butter tacos for dinner. However, we were too busy trying to survive and (there was) no time to feel bad about what we didn't have. It was always about what we could obtain."

Her family was very close and although all six siblings went their separate ways in adulthood, they have remained close thanks to their mother "(She) was the glue that held us together. We always get together for all the holidays and the special occasions. She is now 86 years old, drives a truck, and likes to surf the Internet and collect recipes she tries out on her family."

Despite the hardships of a family struggling on minimum wage incomes, young Bel Hernandez was a dreamer. "My face was always buried in a book. I woke up reading and went to bed reading by the streetlight outside my window. When I was sent on errands, I would walk to the store with a book in hand and read all the way to and from," she recalls. However, as a young child and into high school, Hernandez' only aspirations were to become a secretary.

"There was a lack of role models for me. No one I saw on TV looked like (me). I didn't know of any Latino doctors, lawyers...so up until high school that is what I wanted to do," Hernandez reflects.

Continue reading "Focusing the Hollywood spotlight on fellow Latino artists turns a job into a mission" »

Filed 2 de Diciembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Mariana Llamas-Cendon

Veronica Valadez has been recognized as an Emerging Artist of the City of Ventura 2009 Mayor's Arts Awards, but to her this distinction has many meanings...

Art has many faces; one of them is named Veronica Valadez. A Latina visual artist, Aztec dancer, gallery owner, teacher and community activist, among other roles, Veronica Valadez was nominated under the Emerging Artist category to the City of Ventura 2009 Mayor's Arts Awards.

"Some time had passed and then I saw online that they had really sent out the letters and I didn't receive anything so I was bummed out," said Veronica Valadez, owner of Under the Sun Gallery at Bell Arts Factory in Ventura. "Then I found that I did get it".

To Valadez such recognition means more than just an award; it signifies an honor to represent the community she belongs to.

"I was honored more than anything because I don't think that very many Latinos have gotten this award. I was happy to be able to represent my community," Valadez said.

This award also means for Valadez that her efforts to make sure that Latinos, their art, and talents are properly represented haven't been in vain. But most of all, she appreciated that there is a place for their culture and history in Ventura that as Latinos they didn't have before.

"For me this is just what this award means, that Ventura is accepting of that and it is appreciating and validating our culture," Valadez said.

Award-winning artist Veronica Valadez poses in front of one of her artworks. (Photo: Carlos J. Licea/Amigos805.com)

But this is not an individual distinction, according to Valadez, who is always working towards exposing what she calls her "compañeros" (partners) and her artists' friends.

"I am always putting up art shows of other people's artwork and my dance group is a work group, I may be one of the leaders but a leader can't be a leader without a group of people so you know I feel it is more an award for our community than just for me," Valadez said. "There is no way I could do this by myself".

Continue reading "Painting a broader picture of Latino talent one artshow at a time" »

Filed 21 de Agosto, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professional symphony music conductor Sonia Marie De León de Vega shares her love of classical music with families and Latino communities through programs and concerts that bring classical music "home."

When most young girls dream of a career in music, it usually includes visions of strutting across a stage in a sexy outfit and belting out a hit song while muscular dancers shadow their every move before an audience of screaming and adoring fans.

Not so for Sonia Marie De León de Vega. Even from a young age, Sonia knew her musical path would involve no sexy outfits or sweaty dancers. Yet, she did know that everyone on stage would be following her lead, there would be applauding audiences and she would perform the kind of music hits that can only be described as "timeless classics."

Sonia Marie De León de Vega is a symphony orchestra conductor. Born in San Antonio, Texas into a family of professional entertainers, Sonia felt a calling to pursue classical music.

Continue reading "Taking the lead to keep classical music alive among a new generation" »

Filed 10 de Agosto, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Seeing the growing influence of the Hispanic consumer on the fashion industry, entrepreneur Michelle Sanchez creates a modeling agency catered to representing Latina models.

In Spanish, "moda" means fashion. To Michelle Sanchez, a 31-year-old Dallas, Texas entrepreneur, there wasn't a more fitting word to include in the name of her current business venture.

Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Sanchez was always on the lookout for ways to create unique business opportunities for herself. One opportunity she saw developing was the inevitable inclusion of more Latina and Latino models in the fashion industry.

Sanchez knew it was only a matter of time before the fashion industry would realize the buying power of the growing Hispanic population and how Latino consumers would want to see clothes modeled by people who looked like them. Wanting to be ready to seize the opportunity when it fully developed, Sanchez knew there was only one way to plan for it -- create her own modeling agency that focused on representing Hispanic models.

"I knew I would have a niche in the Dallas market by representing Latinas," said Sanchez.

Yet, she needed a catchy name that embodied what her business was all about.

"I decided on the name MODA because it's easy to recognize and remember," said Sanchez. "Also, since moda, in Spanish, means fashion, it was just easy to add modelos to it and create MODA Modelos."

Next came the business plan. Sanchez started out with a short business plan but credits her success in getting the venture off the ground with her ability to network and meet a variety of people with whom she was able to do trade arrangements with.

While coming up with the name, finalizing the business plan and networking took effort, it was convincing the fashion industry to include Latina and Latino models in their shows and to be featured in fashion catalogs that has been a four-year struggle that Sanchez finally feels is paying off.

Continue reading "Filling a fashion niche with the right fit creates a business always in vogue" »

Filed 16 de Julio, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

By Mariana Llamas-Cendon

It has been almost a year since a group of professional Latinas from different parts of Ventura County gathered to talk about how they could spread the word about Latino culture in the region. The group was brought together by Anna Rios Bermúdez, a curator of the Museum of Ventura County.

That informal July meeting has since led to the creation of the museum's advisory group known as Las Contemporáneas (Contemporary Women).

Las Contemporáneas name, according to member Kathleen Contreras, professor of Bilingual Education and Chicano Studies of California State University Channel Islands, describes a group of Latino women.

Currently, the group has 15 bilingual and bicultural members, either involved in education or business, who are very active in the communities they belong to.

Continue reading ""Contemporary Women" join forces to promote Latino culture" »

Filed 25 de Junio, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

For Carey and Joe Davila, all it took was a simple wish from their daughter that served as the impetus to create a business making mermaids out of little girls.

There isn't a little girl who doesn't dream, at one time or another, of being a mermaid princess complete with a flowing, sparkling tail that allows her to swim the seas of her own special undersea kingdom. And there isn't a parent who doesn't try to make their little girls' dreams come true.

That was the intention of Carey and Joe Davila of North Texas. Spending many hot Texas afternoons splashing in cool pool waters with their two daughters, the couple's youngest daughter had a special request of her parents one day.

"My youngest daughter kept asking us to make her something that would make her look like a mermaid," Joe said. "My wife and I finally decided to try to make her a tail."

Though it took about 40 different tries to achieve the perfect tail, mom Carey knew she could make her daughter's dream come true. Taught to sew by her own mother when she was 10-years-old, Carey grew up making her own Halloween costumes, play clothes and clothes for her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals.

She never lost her love of sewing and while she held down a day job as a payroll account services consultant, Carey kept her sewing skills polished by making a few dresses for her girls in her spare time.

So, when it came time to design the perfect mermaid tail, Carey knew she would have to draw upon the sewing skills she grew up with. Using a pattern for the tail itself, Carey designed the body of the tail taking into account her daughter's measurements.

But the pattern was only the beginning. Carey knew what would transform her daughter into a real mermaid was the fabric used for the tail.

"The fabric was actually the most difficult part of the assembly," Joe said. "Many of the ones we tried just weren't rugged enough to withstand even a little wear and tear. We eventually found the right fabric."

However, a mermaid tail isn't any good unless it's in the water. With the perfect mermaid tail in tow, the young family trekked to the neighborhood pool to make their daughter's wish come true. They quickly discovered that there were a lot more little girls who had the same dream.

Continue reading "A child's wish and a little magic create a successful tale" »

Filed 28 de Marzo, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Out of frustration from not finding traveling packs of high-quality toilet seat covers, Dora Cardenas-Ruckstuhl creates a product that puts a profitable spin to an unsexy item.

By her own admission, Dora Cardenas-Ruckstuhl has always been a dreamer. Ever since emigrating from her native sultry Colombia for the teeth-chattering temperatures of Canada at age 9 with her family, Dora dreamt of a future where she was the master of her destiny.

"I was always a dreamer," Dora said. "I remember at least once a month informing my dad that I changed my mind about my "destined" career. This lasted way into my twenties and each time I told him of my newfound path, he acted with enthusiasm and never once asked why I changed my mind. My dad made me feel as though I could do and be anything in this world."

Yet, never in her wildest dreams did she ever foresee herself where she is today -- as vice-president of communications and co-founder, with her husband Caine, of Toletta, a line of disposable toilet seat covers.

The idea for Toletta was born literally out of frustration.

Dora and her husband were trying to find some travel-size packs of disposable paper toilet seat covers to take with them on a trip. They didn't realize how hard a task that would be.

"Not only was I shocked to learn that travel packs are hard to find," Dora said. "But the products we did find didn't have any ounce of style or quality tissues. All the products we found looked and felt like something you would find in camping supply stores -- not exactly something retail stores and supermarkets would be proud to carry on their shelves."

So the young couple got to work to create the kind of toilet seat covers they wouldn't mind using themselves. They found the softest tissues on the market, 20 percent larger and 42 percent thicker than other brands. But that was only half of the equation. They realized that just as important as the product was a strong brand.

"We were looking for a name that not only made people think about toilets but also made people feel that the brand was high-end," Dora revealed.

Finding the right brand name and available URL to create the kind of website they envisioned to market their product took over six weeks to accomplish. Dora credits her husband with thinking of the brand name.

However, the two would soon learn that was the easy part of the business success they both dreamed for themselves.

Continue reading "Flushing with success, one entrepreneur cashes in a disposable idea" »

Filed 26 de Marzo, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)