STORIES

“El Nido offers you hope and faith even when
you may not be able to have it on your own. I am
grateful. I am blessed to be an El Nido alumnus.”
various scholarships, including scholarships
from El Nido. While a college student, Xiomara
interned at both the Los Angeles Sixth Council
District Office and two years later with the
Office of the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
the Leading the Way Award in 2009 and the
Champions Award in 2014. “One has to wonder,
how is it that a community organization like El
Nido has been around for 90 years? Well it is
because the leadership is passed on to clients.
Not only do programs offer case management,
Today she works for a national, nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization, Small Business Majority,
where she serves as the Southern California
Outreach Coordinator.
“The work I do involves
but they also offer the opportunity to make a
difference in your life, the community and even
the world. El Nido taught me to believe in myself
when I was a timid 16-year-old
girl. I need to give back to the
communicating the needs
community that I was once a
"JENNIFER ALWAYS
of America’s entrepreneurs
part of in order to empower
ASSURED ME THAT
through the media and other
other young women and young
EVERYTHING WAS
channels, advocating for
men to change their lives for
GOING TO BE OKAY
smart public policy to ensure
small business success,
and making a special effort
to focus on the growth of
entrepreneurship among
women and in communities
of color,” Xiomara explains.
She is also the proud mother
of two boys, seven-year-old
Derrick and seven-month-old
AND THAT I WOULD
FLOURISH IF I
CONTINUED TO WORK
HARD AND BELIEVE
IN MYSELF. NOT
ONLY DO PROGRAMS
OFFER CASE
MANAGEMENT, BUT
THEY ALSO OFFER
THE OPPORTUNITY TO
the better. I am only one of
the living examples of how
programs like this positively
impact society. I didn’t become
a burden on the welfare system,
I was able to obtain help and
resources temporarily when I
truly did need them and they
provided value. I learned to
survive, and to give back.
Dominic. “I want to embody
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN YOUR LIFE, THE
success. I don’t want them to
“I will always be indebted to the
COMMUNITY AND
see me struggle, like I saw my
organization for everything they
EVEN THE WORLD."
parents struggle financially.
have done for me. Many of the
I want them to give back to
the community, never to only
take and take. I also want them to understand
the value of education and how important it is to
continue with your post-secondary education.”
values I carry derive from El Nido.
When I was a young student,
timid and frightened at times, and thought about
giving up simply because of all the pressure,
I thought about all of my mentors at El Nido
who would be disappointed if I didn’t continue
Xiomara was one of the founding members of
the El Nido Alumni Association and is the chair
for the Alumni Executive Committee. She has
received two awards from El Nido Family Centers:
with my education — and that is what El Nido
does, it offers you hope and faith even when
you may not be able to have it on your own. I am
grateful. I am blessed to be an El Nido alumnus.”
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