LATIN TIMES MAGAZINE - 2019 Summer Edition | Page 18

Latina Lideres Awards
in community
Odette Figueruelo
2019 Latina Mover N Shaker
by: Jolie Gonzalez-Padilla
I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a
sister, an aunt, a nice, a cousin, a friend.
I love every aspect of all those meaningful
relationships in my life.
I am grateful to God and his presence in
my life.
LTM: Tell us about where you were born and raised and
where your family is from
Odette Figueruelo: I was born in Havana Cuba. I was raised in
Spain. My brother, my mother and I became Spaniard citizens
through my father to be able to leave Cuba. We lived in Spain
five years and then when I was 15, we moved to the U.S.
LTM: Tell us about the biggest highlights of your career
Odette Figueruelo: More so than an award received or a pro-
motion, as an educator, a highlight for me is when my former
students return to visit and they share how they have complet-
ed their education and they are professionals giving back to the
community. Another highlight is when I have a student who is
struggling and later you see their transformation. They over-
came an obstacle and they reached their goals. It is so reward-
ing!! Also, with my community work I can help raise funds for
scholarships to change the lives of many students. I love what
I do every day. It is a huge responsibility to know that we can
impact the lives of young people. We can inspire them!
LTM: As a Latina leader in community, business or other…
what has been your biggest challenge and how have you
been able to overcome it
Odette Figueruelo: I think that one of the biggest challenges
sometimes becomes a great opportunity. There is a lack of Latin
women representation in positions of leadership. For example,
sometimes culturally speaking there is this hidden cultural pre-
sumption that Latinas are not supposed to be leaders. Person-
ally, in my family I was encouraged to go to school, to graduate
from college. Sometimes, a big challenge I encounter is to be
able to inspire young Latina women that do not see themselves
as leaders. When you spend time helping others, and they see
you as an example, it is amazing to see that you are able to brake
those cultural barriers and then see these women changing
their path. I feel we need more representation of Latina women
in leaderships’ roles, this really inspires me to work harder. It
motivates me and to help our youth to believe in themselves
and to reach higher!
LTM: How important is being a Latina to you
Odette Figueruelo: Being Latina is part of my identity; it is
part of my soul. I always say, that I am a proud Cuban by birth,
proud Spaniard by blood and proud American by choice. I am
very grateful of the United States, but I love my Latin roots
and how much I enjoy life due to those roots. I love everything
about my culture, the language, the food, the literature, the mu-
sic, the list it is infinite. I love to honor my heritage, my family,
by being a Latina Leader in my community. It is a priority to
me to make sure my son values his Latin Heritage. He was a
great motivation for me to get involved in my community work
at Tampa Hispanic Heritage Inc.
LTM: What is your favorite type of música and what is your
favorite song?
Odette Figueruelo: I really love all types of music, from Latin,
to classical to rock. I have many favorite songs!
LTM: Tell us about what kind of projects you currently have
going on
Odette Figueruelo: Right now, at Hillsborough Community
College, I am working with three other Latinos to form a coun-
cil on Hispanics issues within the college. We would like to be
a voice for them and be able to communicate with the college
president. We would like to present possible solutions at the
state level. We are currently writing out bylaws, mission and
vision. Hillsborough Community College has a Hispanic pop-
ulation of 33%.
As past president and current Vice President of Tampa Hispan-
ic Heritage Inc. I proudly work with the rest of the board on
our journey to help our community preserve and celebrate our
culture. We also work countless hours raising funds for schol-
arships for our Hispanic students in our community.
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