Hispanic Heritage Month 2026

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• My cultural background has deeply influenced who I am today. As a first-generation Mexican American and the daughter of immigrants, I was raised with a strong sense of family, resilience, and community. Being bilingual has also been a meaningful part of my identity. From a young age, I often found myself helping my family navigate language barriers, which taught me the importance of communication, advocacy, and making others feel heard and understood.

  Magaly Ruiz Barrios

  Immigration Intake Specialist

• As the child of Ecuadorian immigrants who initially moved to New York before making Minnesota their home, my cultural identity has deeply shaped my professional journey. Growing up, I saw firsthand the systemic barriers my parents and other communities of color faced when navigating unfamiliar systems and accessing resources. Those experiences have made me passionate about working with communities that reflect the ones I grew up in and committed to making knowledge, resources, and opportunities more accessible. My cultural background continues to remind me that sometimes having someone who can help you navigate a system, answer a question, or connect you to a resource can make a meaningful difference.

  Jacy Landi

  Medical Career Advancement Navigator

• Hispanic Heritage Month means visibility and legitimacy for my culture. I have been here for 14 years and always feeling less and unwelcome in one way or another. It frees me up to openly feel proud, to be excited about where I come from, and the beauty of my cultures. I have a varied cultural background due to major political crisis in the world. My mom is from Uruguay and my dad from Japan. I was born in Argentina and spent my summers in the triple border with Brazil and Paraguay were my dad moved to. All those cultures have had an influence on my view of diaspora and migrations, cultural awareness and how different the world looks like from different languages. Spanish is my native language and my “home” to express myself. 

  Alejandra Takahira

  Case Manager, Anti-Human Trafficking & Youth Support Services

• A value from my heritage that has shaped my life is that many Latino families center collectivism over individualism, and mine is no exception. I was taught to look beyond the nuclear family to my larger community for support, and in exchange, take some responsibility for the well-being of others instead of just myself. This worldview influenced my decision to pursue a career where I could be of service to others – particularly people navigating this country’s systems and culture for the first time, similar to how my mother did when she moved from Puerto Rico to the mainland as an adult.

  Giovanna Antrop-Colón

  College Navigator

• I am proud of my Latino heritage and its rich culture and history. My grandparents made tremendous sacrifices and struggled through hardships to bring their family to this country. Their hard work gave their children the opportunities and life they never had. While I do not like to glorify or idealize adversity as a necessity to achieve success, I fully recognize what my family had to endure and overcome to provide for their loved ones. I see my work at the Institute as a way to give back to refugees and immigrants in a way that my family did not have when they arrived. I strive to create a community that is enthusiastically welcoming, accepting and grateful of the contributions refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers bring to our state and country.

  Joe Shannon

  Marketing and Communications Manager

• My cultural background has influenced the person I am today; it is the foundation of my values and my identity. I am a very proud Mexican. Even though I grew up here majority of my life, my parents and family raised me teaching me the traditions and beauty of our culture. I would also visit Mexico often growing up. Arriving as immigrants in Minnesota, I’ve witnessed firsthand the racism, challenges, sacrifices, and hard work my parents and other family members have overcome. I am grateful that my family overcame those barriers and that this country opened opportunities for us to have the life we have today. Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month and every day, I celebrate and embrace my culture with a lot of pride. I am grateful to be working at place that supports refugees and immigrants, knowing we are changing lives and making a difference for families like mine. 

  Alejandra Palacios Sigala

  Marketing and Communications Coordinator

• My Latinidad has a very heavy influence on who I am today, from the way I choose to raise my kid (we only speak Spanish at home and that includes any type of media we consume or books that we read) To how I incorporate my culture in my spaces at home. I am from Mexico City and I long to go back there as much as possible because the city is full of culture and pre-Hispanic history all around. I believe it has over 100 museums so there is so much to explore and new things to discover, that I find myself daydreaming about Mexico City a lot. At home I also try very hard to incorporate my culture by having vibrant colors that remind of my grandmother’s house and mementos from my travels throughout Mexico. Most recently I have started to collect traditional masks hand crafted by artist from the different indigenous regions of Mexico. I enjoy learning how to cook Mexican meals for my family that reminds me of my childhood. I really love my culture, and I try to live it and incorporate it and allow it to guide me and influence me every day! 

  Sandra Valasquez

  Case Manager, Anti-Human Trafficking & Youth Support Services

   

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