Lancaster: Twenty-three Lancastrians graduated from the Latino Empowerment Program during a ceremony held at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in the evening on Friday, December 11. 

Frances Rodriguez, Chair of the Lancaster County Latino Coordinating Committee, and Scott Sheely, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, welcome those being honored to the evening.  Amadi Ramon, mechanical engineer at ATK Mission Systems in Elkton, MD and a graduate of J.P. McCaskey High School and Millersville University, shared his story and encouraged graduates to turn disappointments into opportunities.  Class members, Jessica Castro and Jose Frayre, recounted their experience during the seven week course and challenged themselves and their classmates to be the leaders at home, at work, and in the community that they can become.  Norman Britol-Colon, Executive Director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, also congratulated and challenged the graduates to fulfill the expectations that they taken on as participants in this program.  Ms. Rodriguez suggested that these graduates are starting an epidemic (a concept used in a class text, The Tipping Point) that needs to spread throughout our community.

Graduates included Olga Aponte-Texidor, Maria Arredondo, Jessica Castro, Kristi Colon, Miguel Cuevas, Ivonne Diaz, Jose Frayre, Luz Garcia, Noemi Garcia, Emma Gutierrez, Letitia Hernandez, Elise King, Miguel Mercado, Ileana Miller, Madelin Nazario, Wilfredo Pagan, Leticia Paredes, Joaquin Plaza, Emma Rodriguez, Edwin Salgado, Annabelle Sanchez, Maribel Serrano, and Angel Suliveras.

The Alcoa Foundation supports this program whose mission is to empower Latino leaders at home, at work, and in the community.