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Amy Valdivia grew up on the South Side of Chicago to Mexican-born parents. Watching her dad strive to raise three strong, independent daughters inspired Amy to never give up her South Side spirit. After graduating from UIC with dual degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology, she realized life in the police force wasn’t for her.

Taking the knowledge she learned from school and coupling it with her street smarts gained from growing up in a rough neighborhood, she applies her hustle to every thing she does in life. Currently working as a vendor for Christian Dior, Amy’s passionate about meeting and connecting with people wherever she goes. 

When she’s not traveling from store to store, she spends time on her real estate investment portfolio. She loves flipping houses and brings in her keen eye for design and detail with every property she works with. Amy preaches that you only live one life and you should never hesitate to do what makes you happy. Somewhere in between being a busy mom and a business woman, she also dedicates time and money to helping alleviate the homeless crisis in Chicago.

Bouncing back and forth between Chicago and Mexico until he was eight-years-old, Octavio Duran grew up with parents who worked as hard as they could to give him opportunities for a better life. Not one to take that for granted, Octavio seized those opportunities and has risen through the ranks to become a very successful personal-injury attorney owning his own practice. After having been named a Rising Star by SuperLawyers for the last five years and receiving multiple awards, he now serves as the President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association.

Giving back to his community in the best way he can is toward the top of Octavio’s priority list. In his spare time he donates to the Northside Latin Progress (a non profit representing Latino day-laborers) and volunteers through the Chicago Bar Association by donating gifts to elementary students, setting up wills for seniors and first responders, and raising money for legal aid.

He wants people to take inspiration from his own life and the struggles he’s been through. And most importantly, he strives to share knowledge to people in his community about their rights and what to do if they are even injured.

Jenny Bustillo was born in El Salvador during the Salvadorian civil war. Her parents, wanting a better life for their kids, took Jenny and her siblings to San Francisco where she grew up and had her son. Eventually, a job took the two of them to Chicago where they have called home for almost a decade. While Jenny boasts an impressive career thus far in Real Estate, currently a broker with Compass, what’s even more incredible about her story is how she gives back to her community.

Not only does she hand out food to the homeless people in Chicago’s Loop area, she sponsors people she meets on the street and gets them a room for 2-3 days a month. For a long time, she volunteered at Make-a-Wish foundation granting wishes for kids of all ages facing terminal illnesses.

If that weren’t enough, she sponsors a couple of kids around Christmas time getting them gifts from their Christmas list or buying teen home supplies for kids who have turned 18 and aged out of foster care. With a combination of a big heart and savvy real estate skills, Jenny Bustillo is not just a realtor. She looks out for those around her, especially for her clients, often establishing lasting friendships with those she helps in real estate and beyond.

A Navy veteran and Decatur, IL native, Jack Farrell is a happy family man who is ridiculously driven. After years of winning numerous sales and recruiting awards for his individual personal production and team production as a manager, he decided it was time to launch his own venture. "I've been wanting to start this business since 2014 and whenever I was sitting down just talking to my girlfriend about it, she was like what's stopping you? And I didn't have an answer." 

Jack recently started QuickRecruit, LLC that specializes in Recruiting and Sourcing for the Mortgage industry. He’s dedicated to finding the right people for the right jobs and making sure it’s a mutually beneficial fit. When he’s not working on building his own business, he focuses his time and energy on supporting organizations that impact the lives of children and veterans. "My third son has autism, so I've done a lot of stuff with Autism Speaks. Also, there's a fantastic organization that I'm going to supporting more and more of, after I get through the building phase of my business, and that's Open Heart Magic." 

Mario Gil Jr. will be the first person to tell you that even roses grow from concrete. Originally from one of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods, the Austin area, he wants people to know that they don’t have to be a negative product of their environment. 

Graduating high school early at 16, Mario went on to college to better his future. Determined to be independent and not rely on student loans or grants, Mario immediately went to work in order to fund his education. That inspired him to expand upon his work ethic experimenting with different careers and professions.

Today, he helps educate families about growing wealth and protecting their assets through his work with Farmers Insurance and Pearson Realty Group. Whether it’s as a volunteer CPR instructor with the American Red Cross or giving donations to various organizations that are near and dear to his heart, Mario strives to give back wherever he can.

Born in Moroleón, Guanajuato, Mexico, and raised in Joliet, IL, Karina Villafuerte is one of the truest beacons of light you’ll ever meet. For someone who had a difficult time finding her path after high school, Karina boasts a laundry list of accomplishments. 

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Karina was able to start her journey with the Girl Scouts of America working her way to become the first Innovation and Inclusion Specialist. From there, she’s spent nine years in non-profit leadership most recently finding a place at Instituto del Progreso Latino as an Employment Specialist for their Career Pathways team. 

Beyond her instrumental work in the office helping people find employment opportunities, Karina founded a community project called Warm Souls helping the countless homeless in our Chicago area. They collect hundreds of essential winter items and personally deliver these items to shelters and communities all over. The personal delivery is the part that is so important to Karina. It allows her and her volunteers to have conversations with these people and give them the opportunity to tell their stories and be heard. This past year they were able to pack 120+ Warm Soul packages delivered throughout February. 

Giving back for Karina doesn't stop there. She also is an independent financial advocate serving her community members, at no cost, by providing financial education, resources/connections, and guidance that can change their lives for generations to come. She measures her success by the dreams, goals, and opportunities she helps shape for other’s bright futures.

10 years ago, today, Asta Malciute decided to follow her heart from her home country of Lithuania to Chicago. While the relationship she came here for did not work out in the end, she decided to make Chicago her home and hasn’t looked back since. 

After spending several years in logistics, Asta felt her true purpose calling her. She decided to start her own business as a holistic transformational coach helping women unleash their true potential by discovering their own vision and what they stand for.

While she is also actively involved in real estate and a rental property business, Asta’s true goal is to wake people up so that they can stop merely existing and start living their best lives. She wants people to know that they don’t need to wait for a horrible “wake-up call” and that all they need to do is decide and go for what they want in life.

In addition to spreading her mission, Asta spends her time as a board member of the Lithuanian City of Chicago Club which is committed to service the Chicagoland Lithuanian community with a range of charity and educational projects. She also mentors young Lithuanian professionals globally. Her biggest achievements, though, can’t be found on a resume. Asta feels most accomplished when she sees that she has facilitated breakthroughs and when she has truly made a difference in someone’s life.

Immigrating from Thailand to Chicago in order to further their schooling, Myra Nimchaiyong’s parents always stressed to her that true freedom of mind and body comes mainly from education. In keeping with her upbringing, Myra has been determined to improve her real estate skills at every step of the way. 

After completing a variety of designations in the business, she is on her journey to accomplish the esteemed Certified Commercial Investment Member designation (CCIM). The essential CCIM skill sets incorporate the knowledge of financial analysis, market analysis, user decision analysis, and investment analysis for commercial investment real estate. It is a mark of extreme competence and commitment. That combined with her extraordinary interpersonal skills building partnerships for life and her relentless ability to provide the best service showcases Myra’s unique real estate knowledge portfolio that few possess.

After 15 years in the Chicagoland market, she’s recently taken her talents to Compass, a technology driven real estate company, where she plans to continue forging her path. In addition to real estate, Myra is passionate about helping others who cannot help themselves and those who seek out help to excel in life. As someone who has built a flourishing professional career without graduating from college, Myra knows the power of tenacity and hard work and she wants to pay that forward.

A South Side Chicago native, Mercedes Burgos has faced many trials and tribulations and adversity thus far in her life. However, after speaking with Mercedes for five minutes, it’s clear that she is someone who will take lemons and create a lemonade empire. 

A mother of four and a young grandma of one, she boasts a BA in Criminal Justice, an MBA, and a Master’s in Human Resources Management. She somehow found time along the way to write and publish a children’s book: “Meenah the Mystical Princess of Zantel.” Today she is a full-time Realtor and part-time model.

She’s passionate about working with her Real Estate clients in both residential and commercial real estate and sharing her own story of surviving abuse in the hopes of helping others. In her spare time she spends her time serving on various chamber boards and volunteers with a wide variety of organizations.

Salvador Cicero is a true modern-day Renaissance Man. Born in California but raised in Mexico, Salvador quickly rose up the ranks of a diplomatic career.

As a practicing attorney and a diplomat, he has done everything from helping release an inmate from death row to running an award-winning Ecuador anti-human trafficking project and so much in between. He shares his expertise through his academic writings and currently teaches at John Marshal Law School. 

Through countless awards, honors, and achievements in his diplomatic career, he decided to leave that behind in order to be a father to his daughter. As his daughter has grown up, she looks up to Salvador to show her what success is through his own actions, motivating him every day. 

In his spare time, when he’s not playing music, Salvador volunteers his time in various organizations including Catholic Charities and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, he mentors young lawyers, and he represents some people pro-bono.