[Press Release for March 1st, 2020]
Who was in the inaugural Tribu?
All members are of hispanic heritage, with ages ranging from 25-30 years. These descriptions are trying to highlight their professional accomplishments to show that no matter what stage of life, these people all, unanimously, eagerly said yes to the opportunity of having a community of guides like Tribu. Everyone could use a tribe of allies. (note: these are actually the members of our WhatsApp group)
- Sergio “Cheko” Cantú – A “Latino 30 under 30,” Cheko is now a research fellow studying atomic physics.
- Omar Carrasquillo – Constantly looking for impact, Omar recently transitioned into a Senior Implementation Coach at McKinsey and Company after spending half a decade leading engineering projects.
- Angela Ceseña – Always seeming to give more than she takes, Angela has recently come Executive Director at Latina SafeHouse, a non-profit aimed at serving survivors of domestic violence.
- Javier García – With an expertise in systems integration and process automation, Javier’s experiences include founding multiple companies spanning multiple areas.
- Catherine Gonzalez – With a strong drive for giving a voice to the voiceless, Catherine is now a Staff Attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services in New York.
- Christopher Gonzales – Chris is a Medical Resident Physician of Internal medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.
- Christina Hernandez Diaz – If you need a complex task completed with a goal-driven approach, look no further than this NASA systems engineer who is literally sending things to Mars.
- Ernesto Reza – Although a business consultant with Catalyst, Ernesto is best known for his never-ending creativity with coming up with radical ideas to change the world.
- Christiana Rosales – A definite trail blazer at heart, Christiana’s experience includes leading engineering teams in tech start-ups to designing buildings that balance the beauty of architecture with sustainability energy.
- Jefferson Sánchez – When you want to think grand and be bold, this independent consultant is your guy. Most recently, he embarked on a personal project to put Nicaragua back on the map!
- Pamela Silva Díaz – Through a combination of product design, mental health, and mindfulness, Pamela has been on the ground helping survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico recover sustainably.
- Morris Vanegas – Some kid from south central LA who wants to be a professor but decided to start Tribu in the meantime.
Who were the first Tribu Spirit Guides?
The spirit guides were based on Juana Borda’s first three Principles of Latino Leadership.
Shayla Rivera – Personalismo Spirit Guide (Character of the leader)
A Latino Leader embodies traits that earn respect and trust. They require the ability to empathize and make strong connections with anyone they meet. This implies understanding one’s roots and family heritage, staying culturally connected, and under-standing history.
Shayla Rivera is a professor of the practice at Texas A&M and Director of EngineeringX where she provides undergraduate students with additional professional skills and experience beyond the classroom. As a rocket scientist turned stand up comedian turned professor, she knows how to effectively convey complex subjects in meaningful ways.
Jessica Artiles – Conciencia Spirit Guide (Knowing oneself personal awareness)
In-depth reflection, self-examination, and integration are at the core of conciencia. Conciencia is the connection to your inner core – the reliable, consistent self that provides direction and guidance.
As a designer, Jessica Artiles has an innate ability to understand people’s needs before they even know it. She has run workshops of life coaching for professional women, has spent a sabbatical teaching design thinking to schools all over Asia, and coined the term “DesignShop,” the hackathon-like events that bring together stakeholders to quickly teach design thinking principles to solve complex problems.
Stewart Ugelow – Destino Spirit Guide (Personal and Collective Purpose)
The belief we all have a life path. Life presents certain opportunities, experience, and challenges. Destino is a dance with the currents of life. A guided purpose leads to high-impact, for both you and your community. Tapping into one’s destino brings clarity, alignment, and a clearer sense of direction.
Stewart Ugelow is the founder of Teach Fishing, a non-profit focused on increasing social impact though high-value volunteerism. An expert on community dynamics, Stewart helps members not only understand the impact of their work, but the impact of their participation in this tribe.
How big are the tribes?
Each tribe is composed of 12 members. The number is meant to have a large enough community to balance the intro- and extrovert personalities so it never feels like one person talking all the time, but also be small enough to have intimate conversations. The number also helps the group maintain a large enough group for meaningful discourse when members need to be less involved due to personal responsibilities elsewhere.
Why be a spirit guide?
Our spirit guides already do work for the advancement of others, so their role here isn’t much different than what already comes natural to them. They are inherent givers. But being a spirit guide provides them meaningful insight into the emerging latino leader members. Spirit guides can use the tribe as focus groups for their personal explorations in their fields. Essentially, they benefit from having access to the members and seeing them in an intimate setting.
How often do people respond. Doesn’t it get annoying?
Just like in a family gathering, everyone needs a break. There are times when the conversations are lively, and times of silence. Given the geographical distances, it is not uncommon to get a message early morning or late at night. However, the expectation isn’t for an immediate response. During busy times in your life, you may not be as responsive. At other times, you may be leading a conversation.
Why “Tribu”?
La Tribu means The Tribe. Before the modern culture of individual families living isolated from each other, people lived in tribes, groups of families that provided support for each other. This was especially true in Latino culture. This inclusive, community living led to not only support networks, but gave rise to the Mestizos, the conglomerate and blending of different cultures into a unified heritage. The term tribe emphasizes that although we have taken different paths and are in different points in our journeys, we all have a common heritage, and more importantly, and common want, that can best be achieved when different families work together.