LatinX Can

Meet Francisco Ramos, a comedian and actor whose previous career in finance allowed him to upend his life and pursue his dream of becoming a comedian.

Francisco grew up in Venezuela, and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 12. He learned English by himself, and always yearned to belong to his new environment. He graduated with a double degree in Finance and International Business from the University of Maryland, and after a couple of years he realized that was not the path he wanted to follow in life. 

After some introspection, he discovered doing comedy was his passion, and decided to “go for it”. 

Francisco talks about how his career in finance enabled him to pursue his dreams, and speaks candidly about what it takes to become a comedian. 

Check out Francisco’s Comedy:https://franciscoeramos.com 

Watch Gentefied: https://www.netflix.com/title/80198208

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Meet Taylor Tieman, an attorney and small business owner whose journey to become a lawyer helped her understand the decisions her family had to make to keep them safe. Taylor grew up in California playing Softball with the goal of pursuing her bachelor’s degree at an Ivy League school. She achieved her goal by graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law. We talked about what it actually means to be a student-athlete, and the level of commitment it requires. We also discussed how Taylor’s journey to become a lawyer helped her understand why she didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, and the kind of privilege she benefited from as a white-presenting Latina. Taylor also shared her legal advice for small business owners based not only on her experience as a lawyer, but a small business owner herself.Resources:L.E.A.P - Legal Education Access Pipeline, Inc. https://www.legalpipeline.org/Get legal information here: https://www.ttiemanlaw.com/homePlease take our survey: https://forms.office.com/r/qUxvY6Rq9W Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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Meet Marissa Garcia, a NASA engineer from El Paso, TX, who shares with us her story, and the tips & tricks that helped her land a job a NASA. Marissa is a native of El Paso, TX, and pursued both her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She tells us what it was like to study at a Hispanic Serving Institution, her experience as a young engineer, and the top 3 pieces of advice that helped her land a job at NASA. Some of the opportunities mentioned in this episode:The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) at UTEP: https://volt.utep.edu/csetr/Please help us improve this podcast by taking our survey: https://forms.office.com/r/qUxvY6Rq9WLeave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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This episode is an extract of episode 18, where career coach Cynthia Orduña talked about how to prepare for a salary negotiation and get the compensation you deserve. These tips, which include how to research compensation ranges for positions, and identifying your target salary and other needs, are very helpful. Cynthia also shares insights into how to navigate the salary conversation with a recruiter, and get information that will empower you to make the best decision for you. Learn more about Cynthia Orduña here:018: Knowing Your Own Value, with Cynthia Orduña: https://latinxcan.buzzsprout.com/765251/8432161 Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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This episode is an extract of episode 3 where Dr. Stephanie Florez-Pollack talked about the application process for medical school. These tips, which include learning to tell a good story, can be applied to other areas as well, such as applying to other graduate programs and professional schools, or even a job. Learn more about Dr. Florez-Pollack here:002: Little Sparks of Inspiration, Part 1 with Dr. Stephanie Florez-Pollack: https://latinxcan.buzzsprout.com/765251/4630754003: Little Sparks of Inspiration, Part 2 with Dr. Stephanie Florez-Pollack: https://latinxcan.buzzsprout.com/765251/4630763 Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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Meet Ángel Muñoz, a serial entrepreneur born in New York from Puerto Rican parents, who is focused on developing technology whose goal is the defragmentation and enhancement of the human experience. Ángel talks about moving to Puerto Rico at age 10, and how having to learn a new language and adapt to a new environment helped him develop resilience, just like the many children who migrate to other countries. He also talked about how dropping out of college made his professional career much harder, and made his future dependent on serendipity. However, despite the setback, he was able to found various enterprises in different fields, including an investment banking firm, the CyberAthlete Professional League, and his most recent company, Mass Luminosity.  Ángel speaks assertively about the companies he has found, yet he has the humility to understand that there may be other people better equipped to take his companies to the next level. He is now focused on using technology to enhance the human experience. This episode was recorded on Mass Luminosity's latest development, Beacon Check it out here: https://beaconx.com/ Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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Meet Juliana Garaizar, an experienced investor whose career has evolved into one focused on supporting inventors from minority groups, including women. Juliana has lived in multiple countries. She was born in Bilbao, Spain, and lived in France where she obtained an Erasmus scholarship to complete her last year of university studies. She also lived in Singapore while working for the Spanish Trade Commission, and now lives in Houston, Texas , where she serves as the head of Houston incubator Greentown Labs. Juliana explains to us the funding gap in venture capital and some of the factors that help perpetuate the problem. She encourages us to cultivate our network, and to aim to diversify our sources of income, so that when our values don’t align with our jobs, we have an easier time doing something about it. Juliana also offered a different perspective about the imposter syndrome, and explains how microaggressions can put us down without us even recognizing them, leading to us losing confidence that can be mistaken as the imposter syndrome. Lastly, Juliana encourages us to learn more about investing, so that even if we don’t have large amounts of money, we can still support inventors looking to develop ideas that can solve problems experienced by women and minorities. Some of the opportunities mentioned in this episode:Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Scholarships: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters-scholarshipsInvestment resources: https://www.portfolia.co/Angel Capital Association - https://www.angelcapitalassociation.org/Diversity Fund Houston - http://thediversityfund.com/Netflix Documentary: This Changes Everything Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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Meet Eli Velasquez, co-founder of the Investors of Color Network, an ecosystem of black and latinx accredited investors working to close the racial funding gap in startup capital. Eli is a native of El Paso, TX, who shares the positive aspects of living in a border community, which are rarely mentioned in the media. Eli left El Paso to pursue higher education, initially becoming a mechanical engineer who transformed into a patent attorney after pursuing a Juris Doctor degree while working full time. After living in Boston and California for a number of years, he returned to El Paso to contribute with this vibrant community, but encountered obstacles that led him to become an entrepreneur. Since then, Eli has been involved in the startup ecosystem from the investment side. He shares his experience navigating a field dominated by white men, and encourages the latinx community to step into an abundance mindset that can enable us to support each other, and share opportunities and resources with our latinx network. Eli also offered tips we can implement to eventually become investors who can support entrepreneurs from our own latinx community.Some of the opportunities mentioned in this episode:Investors of Color Network: https://www.investorsofcolor.com/Connect with Eli Velasquez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eli-velasquez/ Leave a review: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latinx-can/id1524232753 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/latinx-can-1354080

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