Hello Familia! My name is Natalya Merida-Brito, and I am a Senior at Moon Valley High School in Arizona. I am currently working with the Communications department. I have been a part of RDF for the past three years, and overall, my experience has been excellent.  I always feel included and loved by RDF’s family, and I am happy to be part of la Familia I am an Arizona native with strong Hispanic roots that lead to Mexico City and Guerrero, Mexico. I am interested in pursuing a career in the medical field to help my Latino community because I …

By Natalya Merida, RDF’s Communications Department Intern This year marks my third summer being in RDF’s Familia, and this year I had the privilege of attending UnidosUS 2022 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. While this was my third conference; it was my first time attending in-person. Each year I have had the opportunity to write about my perspective of these conference sessions on the RDF blog. I am excited to take a deep dive into all the outstanding topics that UnidosUS had in store for this year’s conference revolving around the theme “Siempre Adelante – Our Quest for Equity.” …

RDF has the great pleasure of welcoming Christian Smith to our Familia as a summer intern. Christian is now a sophomore at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. He was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up alongside two brothers and sisters, so he always had someone by his side in his childhood. Christian’s hard work radiates so much so that Juan Camilo Quintana, Credit Associate, said, “When I first meet Christian, he was quiet at first, but as soon as I got to know him more, I realized he was a very friendly and …

Earlier this month, RDF happily welcomed Sandra Montero Villamizar into our Familia as a summer intern. She is currently working to aid Eric Salazar, RDF’s Director of UnidosUS Affiliated Investments in the Affiliate Support Program. Sandra is in the process of attending Arizona State University to obtain her Chemical Engineer degree. Sandra is an incredible young lady who travelled to new soil with only a little aid. A native of Venezuela, Sandra sought to leave the country’s political and socio-economic crises. Her education and goal to make a difference is vital in Sandra’s life, so once she turned 17, she …

The UnidosUS annual conference creates a meeting ground for participants to discuss and focus on pressing issues that Latinos face daily from all over the United States. Special guests can share their knowledge on topics that impact the Latino community every day. This year, I thought it would be great to add a spin to the blog I wrote last year by including thoughts from RDF staff. Latinos & Homeownership An impactful session during the conference was “The Big Bet: Latinos and Homeownership”, which discussed how gentrification has made housing unaffordable in once predominantly Latino neighborhoods, the gap in homeownership between …

The UnidosUS Annual Conference gives participants from all over the U.S. a meeting ground to discuss and focus on topics that address pressing issues that Latinos face daily. This year was unique—they went to a virtual format, keeping everyone safe, without losing momentum and still moving the agenda of the Latino community forward. We had the opportunity to hear from prominent leaders about a variety of key topics like the importance of health insurance, phenomenal Latinas, and voting. For me, it was empowering to learn about current events and problems that are affecting many people. The virtual conference was held …