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Read biographies of featured guests for "Defining Latinx" Webinar to be held tomorrow at 3pm CST.

Dr. Sylvia Martinez, Associate Professor, Indiana University, Co-Author "Understanding the Latinx Experience: Developmental and Contextual Influences"

Sylvia Martinez is an Associate Professor at Indiana University, jointly appointed in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and the Latino Studies Program. Broadly, her research focuses on the K-16 Latinx educational pipeline and Latinx ethnic identity development.

She is the co-author of the recently published book, Understanding the Latinx Experience: Developmental and Contextual Experiences (2019, Stylus Publishing).

Jorge Valdivia, Art Consultant & Curator

Jorge Valdivia is a Chicago native who grew up in La Villita, a Mexican-American enclave on the city’s Southwest Side. Valdivia is an arts consultant with a special focus on curating performing arts festivals and events. His work has led him to work with organizations like the National Museum of Mexican Art. There he serves as the performing arts consultant where he is the lead curator of the Sor Juana Festival, celebrating the artistic accomplishments of Mexican women. This is the only festival in the country with such a unique scope and focus. His work has earned the National Museum of Mexican Art a reputation as a leading presenter of Mexican/Latinx performing artists.

Valdivia is also a consultant and co-curator of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA). There he co-curates their work with Mexican theater. He also developed their social ambassadors program and helped increase visibility of Destinos Fest between 300 - 1500%. By supporting the entire CLATA team, Valdivia has helped make Destinos Fest one of most reputable Latinx theater festivals in the country.

Prior to his work as a consultant, Valdivia served as General Manager of Radio Arte•WRTE 90.5FM and as Director of Performing Arts for the National Museum of Mexican Art.

In 2002, Valdivia founded Homofrecuencia, the country’s first Spanish-language radio program to focus on LGBT issues. Two years later, Valdivia and the producers of Homofrecuencia continued to break new ground by organizing and sponsoring the first prom for queer prom in Chicago, creating a critical safe space for young people who have been routinely ostracized from “traditional” high school dances.

Today, Queer Prom has become an annual event at the National Museum of Mexican Art serving between 200-350 young people every year. Valdivia’s leadership and dedication to the launch of these initiatives have empowered a new generation of LGBTQ youth to define their own identities and to position themselves at the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement.

In 2009, Valdivia was honored by the Mayor’s Commission on Human Relations and inducted into Chicago’s Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame for his work with Latinx LGBTQ youth and bring visibility to the Latino LGBTQ community through media and arts.

Since 2013, Valdivia has served as Ambassador of the Chicago Community Trust’s On The Table campaign helping bring visibility to the annual forum designed to elevate civic conversation, foster new relationships and create a unifying experience across the region.

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Your professional worth is not tied to your job title, whether you’re earning a paycheck or if you’re currently employed. Period.

For far too long, we’ve felt embarrassed of being unemployed, or experiencing a layoff, or even asking for help in a job search. Now is the time for that to end. READ MORE AT FORBES

Are you currently job searching? Whether you are looking for a new job or a side gig due to the current economic situation or making a career change to find a better fit, job searching can be difficult and frustrating. Career coaching clients are often overwhelmed with all of the information – and sometimes contradictory advice – that's found online. READ MORE AT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

As one of the groups to feel the disproportionate effects of job loss and health impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos have come to rely on media and social channels more than ever to educate, inform, and entertain.

Latinos continue to be key factors in stimulating the country’s economy with their immense buying power, which increased by 69% in just nine years, outpacing non-Hispanics, which increased by 41% during the same time. READ MORE AT WHNT19 NEWS

With most things in life, organization is key. This is especially true when it comes to a job search. Try these for yourself and take some stress out of job hunting. 

Put your best foot forward by staying organized in your job search. The journey to success starts long before your first day on the job. READ MORE AT VERIZON

According to a new study by a leading political research group, about one in three Latino business owners have taken an economic hit from the pandemic. Coronavirus-related job losses have affected at least 29% of Latino families.

While Americans overall are struggling in the COVID economy, Latinos are generally more economically vulnerable than the general population. READ MORE AT THE MIAMI HERALD

The coronavirus pandemic has canceled countless conferences and trade shows and put the kibosh on traditional in-person networking events. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t successfully grow and leverage your network. Use these tips to network virtually with success. READ MORE AT ADVERTISING SPECIALTY INSTITUTE

Business schools aren’t successfully attracting Latino college students after they’ve started college. That’s according to recent findings from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey, or IDEALS.

The survey found that of the roughly 50% of Latino students who changed their major during college, none changed their major to business. Furthermore, of the 85 Latino students who entered college undecided about their major, only one went on to major in business. READ MORE AT SI NEWS

The push for diversity, inclusion and workplace equity isn't a fad; it's a sea change that all businesses need to be a part of. It's not enough for companies to use social media or websites to embrace Black Lives Matter, gender equality and similar causes. What matters is weaving diversity and inclusion seamlessly into the company culture.

HR executives can play a crucial role by implementing initiatives and leading the C-suite and managers away from unconscious bias or inadvertent racism or bigotry. READ MORE AT SMART BRIEF

In light of recent unsettling events throughout the country surrounding racial injustice, the topics of diversity and inclusion have sparked a discussion not only in communities, but also in the workplace. While the topic can quickly become heated, it’s challenged everyone to examine their own beliefs and actions – including employers. READ MORE AT WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL

Hispanic or Latina women account for nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases among pregnant women, further indicating the devastating effects of the pandemic on the minority community, CDC data shows.

Per CDC data collected from Jan. 22 through Aug. 11, there have been 16,798 pregnant women with COVID-19 in the U.S. A little over 14,100 pregnant women provided information about race and ethnicity, of which 6,447 were Hispanic or Latina. In contrast, nearly 3,000 were Black and about 3,600 were white. READ MORE AT BECKER'S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Google is launching a professional certification program allowing people to earn the equivalent of a four-year degree in six months.

Google is launching new certificates that offer a way for people to fast-track their career toward digital jobs in high-demand fields.

Google Career Certificates can be earned through completing six-month courses. To start, the programs being offered include: READ MORE AT SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL

Read biographies of featured guests for tomorrow's Real Estate Industry Networking event to be held at the rooftop terrace of The Dawson in Chicago. 

FEATURED GUESTS

Karla Mina, Real Estate Broker, Compass Realty

Karla Mina, an agent associated with the Compass Residential Brokerage, Lincoln Park, is a triple threat within the local real estate industry. In addition to her recognition as a successful agent, Karla is highly active in local real estate organizations, and has cemented herself as a go-to authority on local industry analysis. She was named a member of the Coldwell Banker International Sterling Society in 2013 and earned the agency’s top residential real estate sales producer designation in the Lakeview office for 2014.

She has further asserted her status as a poster child for real estate, through a number of on-air news/lifestyle programs, and publications, including Chicago Agent Magazine, HGTV’s “Designed to Sell” and “House Hunters,” in addition to ABC News, LXTV’s “Open House”, and host of WGN’s "Market Overdrive." Mina is also deeply rooted in the local community and industry, serving and Founder of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Global Warriors Advisory Board and most recently named, Volunteer of the Year.

Lidia Felix, Senior Loan Officer, Bay Equity Home Loans

Lidia is a Senior Loan Officer at Bay Equity Home Loans. She is a graduate of DePaul University and has nine years of experience in the mortgage industry.

Lidia, has a diverse set of skills that she has learned over the years. She started as a loan processor and worked herself up to Senior Loan Officer. She uses her depth of knowledge in the mortgage industry to help her clients achieve the dream of homeownership.

She works closely with under served communities to help them overcome challenges of obtaining a mortgage. She reaches out to the community by hosting free homebuyer seminars. She is dedicated to providing the best quality service to help her clients every step of the way.

Sharon Aguilera, Owner/Attorney, Genitum Law Group

Sharon is the owner of Gentium Law Group LLC and Gentium Properties LLC. She advises clients leasing, acquiring and financing residential and commercial real estate. From her interest in architecture she was able to see that real estate, like law, is primarily about deal making and client relationships.

Sharon has prior experience with representing clients in naturalization, permanent residence, nonimmigration visas and deportation proceedings among others. Sharon is actively involved with the Women’s Council of Realtors and The Chicago Association of Realtors, where she is a part of the 77 Diversity Committee representing the Near West Side. She is a Board member of The Spanish Coalition for Housing and The State Legislative Contact for State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez.

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Hispanics are experiencing the largest homeownership gains of any ethnic group in the U.S., a turnaround for the population hardest hit by the housing bust that could help buoy the market for years.

The homeownership rate for Hispanics has increased more during the past several years than any race or ethnic group, including whites. The rate, which hit a 50-year low in 2015, has risen 3.3 percentage points since then, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. READ MORE AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

While the lure of new Netflix shows may be tempting to help pass the hours spent at home, why not invest in yourself during this downtime and sign up for an online course? Whether you're looking to learn skills to further your career, or just pick up a new hobby, there are countless resources out there.

Here, we round up 10 online learning platforms which offer a range of courses and classes on everything from business and finance, computer science and tech, to photography, design, cooking and more. READ MORE AT TATLER

The challenges brought about by Covid-19 are also the opportunities to upskill, unlearn, and upgrade so that we equip ourselves with renewed skill, hope, and optimism to navigate through the steep terrain in front of us. READ MORE AT MY REPUBLICA

Over the past decade, Hispanics have accounted for more than half of the homeownership growth
in the U.S., adding more than 1.9 million new homeowners. For the last five years, in fact, we’ve seen year-over-year growth in the Hispanic homeownership rate, as Latinos are forming new households faster than any other demographic. The math is simple—as more household formations form, more will become homeowners and raise the rate of homeowner- ship. Hispanics’ work ethic and affinity for homeownership is pretty remarkable. READ MORE AT MREPORT

Though nearly a quarter of U.S. Hispanics have heard of the gender neutral, pan-ethnic label “Latinx,” almost none of them use it to refer to themselves.

The Pew Research Center released a poll on Tuesday showing that 3% of Hispanic people in the United States identify as “Latinx,” despite its use in academia, government, and the news. READ MORE AT THE DAILY WIRE

Every year, from September 15 through October 15, Americans take the dedicated time to thoughtfully honor, celebrate, and thank prominent Hispanic Americans for their many contributions to the country and culture of the United States. But this year, in the midst of a global pandemic and a relentless news cycle, Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 takes on a whole new meaning. READ MORE AT WOMAN'S DAY

Even as the dust settles from the housing crisis, black and Hispanic prospective home buyers are having a tougher time getting approved for a mortgage at major banks compared to other ethnic groups. READ MORE AT MONEY.com