Hundreds of people gathered to enjoy the event that elevates the achievements of the Hispanic community in Michigan.
According to Andy Gutierrez, member of the Ford Hispanic Network (FHN), the gala is a marquee event that gets together local companies to sponsor individuals who want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage culture at Ford Motor Company and beyond. «We celebrate our diversity, we celebrate our accomplishments in the community, and we’re very proud and happy to be part of this event,» said Gutierrez.
Claudya Arana, another member of FHN, said that they actually started with 70 people, and «today we had to tell others that we were sold out and we couldn’t do it. In reality, we’re so proud of it because all of the money that we raised through these type of events go to the community.»
For Arana is their responsibility to make sure that they continue doing this and that «we continue to grow and we can continuing giving back to the community.»
According to Lismar Berro, also a member of FHN, they are united by their motivation to help their community, help grow within their professional careers, and also to give back. «I know that the things we do, we do it for our youngster, the young Latinos that are coming after us.»
But this event also provides scholarships for Latinos students and grants for local organizations. «This is one of our significant events of the year, where we provide awards and grants to local businesses as well as organizations that are driving the mission of SHPE and FHN. Therefore, improve Latino communities here in Detroit and around the world,» said Michael Guiracocha from FHN.
The event recognized individuals and organizations that work hard to improve the Hispanic community.
One of the organizations that received a scholarship was SHPE Detroit Chapter and Jovanni Rubio, their president. He mentioned how FHN has helped him to improve his personal and professional life, and that he is in the position to help others. «We are currently working on our SHPE Junior chapter, and that is why we’re getting a scholarship for our Junior chapter, a program that works with high school students from K through 12.»
According to Rubio, they work directly with the students and their parents and educate them on the different careers within the STEM fields. «This award that we got today is a scholarship to fund these events that we host annually and bi-annually.»
At the Hispanic Heritage Gala, the special guest was Joanna Hausman, a Venezuelan American comedian, writer, and actress.
At the event, Dance groups from Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico showed the rich and diverse Hispanic culture. «I am so excited about what we did tonight. Displaying our 21 flags and the United States flag gives you a sense of how diverse we are as Latin Americans but also how united we are. The fact that we’re here in the US, and even though we’re from different nationalities, does not separate us, but instead, it unites us all», said Claudya Arana.
