A Celebration of Love, Life and Hope

Recap-Celebrando Latinas 2019,

By Jennifer Bustamante

A Celebration of life, love, hope and women, not just any women… Latinas! Celebrating our Latina culture, our hopes, our dreams, our struggles and our bond. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us this year for yet another successful event in the history of Celebrando, there are no words that can express the multitude of emotions that flowed throughout the event. If you missed this year, not to worry, we are here to give you a recap of this amazing day- we recommend you follow our guests, speakers and sponsors to learn more about their impact in our community.

The morning program, emceed by Emmy Award Winner Estephania Baez, opened with strength and power thanks to Fanny Miller, who leads this event from beginning to end. She welcomed us with a warm message of inspiration, motivation and empowerment. We also heard from renowned Chef Pati Jinjich who has revolutionized the culinary arts through her ability to bring out the Hispanic flavors into our kitchens, understanding our mixed Mexican-american homes. The morning program also exposed some of our Extraordinary Women awards, a look at everyday Latinas making waves in their homes, their businesses and their communities.

For the Celebrando Latinas Team, and all of our vendors, the event began the day before. We arrived at The Hilton San Diego Bayfront to set up each of the many details for a smooth event. Everything from sound check to booth locations, goodie bags, our green room and volunteer staging. Our dancers and speakers came to test the stage and their soundtracks, we checked that every table was set just right and that every sponsor had everything they needed for the big day. Early the next morning, our guests of honor (that is all of you) began to arrive as early as 7:00 a.m.!! We loved to see so many familiar faces, some who have been with us from the very first year, as well as many more new ones! It is always refreshing to see newcomers who don’t know what to expect, and we know they are in for a very special treat. Some women celebrate their birthday with us, we feel so honored to help make your day as special as can be.

For the Celebrando Latinas Team, and all of our vendors, the event began the day before. We arrived at The Hilton San Diego Bayfront to set up each of the many details for a smooth event. Everything from sound check to booth locations, goodie bags, our green room and volunteer staging. Our dancers and speakers came to test the stage and their soundtracks, we checked that every table was set just right and that every sponsor had everything they needed for the big day. Early the next morning, our guests of honor (that is all of you) began to arrive as early as 7:00 a.m.!! We loved to see so many familiar faces, some who have been with us from the very first year, as well as many more new ones! It is always refreshing to see newcomers who don’t know what to expect, and we know they are in for a very special treat. Some women celebrate their birthday with us, we feel so honored to help make your day as special as can be. 

Once our day began our guests had the opportunity to take some “me” time in the diverse pampering options of our Super Expo. Such as health screenings for blood pressure and glucose levels, and learning about the risks of skin and breast cancer as well as the signs and consequences of varicose veins. They also had the chance to try new make-up and beauty products for skin care and body wellness, such as the benefits of a therapeutic massage from Lodos Spa. Moreover our fun fashion boutiques brought you unique designs in clothes, accessories and jewelry- such as Rossy’s Magic Sea Jewelry, you can read her story in this issue of CLM.

Once our day began our guests had the opportunity to take some “me” time in the diverse pampering options of our Super Expo. Such as health screenings for blood pressure and glucose levels, and learn-
ing about the risks of skin and breast cancer as well as the signs and consequences of varicose veins. They also had the chance to try new make-up and beauty products for skincare and body wellness, such as story in this issue of CLM.
The morning program, emceed by Emmy Award Winner Estephania Baez, opened with strength and power thanks to Fanny Miller, who leads this event from beginning to end.

She welcomed us with a warm message of inspiration, motivation and empowerment. We also heard from renowned Chef Pati Jinjich who has revolutionized the culinary arts through her ability to bring out the Hispanic flavors into our kitchens, understanding our mixed Mexican-american homes. The morning program also exposed some of our Extraordinary Women awards, a look at everyday Latinas making waves in their homes, their businesses and their communities.

One of the most important elements of Celebrando Latinas is the power of its workshops, whichever track you decide to follow, you are bound to grow… and that is our deepest wish, that you use these workshops to grow where you need it most. We heard from Imelda Barragan, a Life Coach certified in the Law of Attraction, whose mission in life is to transform people into all that they can become. Our guests also learned from Daniel Guillen, President and CEO of Sentry Pacific Financial Group, LLC., on key financial education and investment management skills for Latinas, covering the delicate matters that we often overlook. We also heard from Analilliana Padilla Corona of Sharp Rees-Stealy, a nutritionist specialized in Diabetes and nutrition for Latinas throughout the various life stages. You can also get a close-up look of Tamara Weston’s presentation “Girl Talk” on the Self-Care section of this edition. Needless to say, the value these and all our workshops bring to Celebrando is absolutely understated, we are grateful that they share so much of their expertise and resources with all or guests.

This year we had the very unique gift of having strong women address our luncheon, Ady Leon of Dinamita, a woman who overcame immense challenges; Erica Alfaro a daughter of immigrants who worked in fields and defied statistics by earning her Bachelor’s Degree and her Master’s Degree against all odds. At center stage we had the privilege of an intimate segment with Academy Award Nominee Yalitza Aparicio, interviewed by our very own Fanny Miller, where we got up close and personal with this young woman who broke all glass ceilings by becoming the first indigenous woman to be nominated for an Oscar.

The night ended as it should, dancing right through the sunset until our feet could dance no more, and yes… we still danced two more at the end! We hope this experience brought you lessons that will change your life, we thank the women who shared their stories with our guests, sang to them and inspired us, but most importantly became part of the Celebrando Latinas History. You too are part of this history, we celebrate them and we celebrate YOU!!! You are Latina, you are powerful and yes… THIS IS YOUR MOMENT!!!