Spotlight: Dreaming Big with UnidosNow

By Lisa Codianne Fowler | March 2022

The little Latina girl in Sarasota has a sparkle in her eyes and a spring in her step. Her parents have been preparing her to take care of herself, find a husband, and build a family—and now she has additional exciting possibilities ahead thanks to UnidosNow. 

Through the Future Leaders Academy of Girls (FLAG) program at UnidosNow, this little girl and her elementary school classmates have been learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career opportunities. Exposed to robotics and coding, the girls recently formed a team and participated in the first robotics competition in Southwest Florida. Look out world—academic opportunities abound! 

With help from the UnidosNow Future Leaders Academy—a comprehensive college prep and career readiness program that primarily serves low-income, first-generation Hispanic/Latino students—local youth are gaining admission to technical/vocational schools, two-year community colleges, and four-year universities. Some are even winning scholarships to competitive universities such as Duke and Harvard.

Building the Future

Immigrants often struggle to achieve the American Dream, and UnidosNow is working to make their path easier. The organization’s name is a blend of Spanish and English, meaning “United Now”—denoting a fusion of cultures, community building, and changing the landscape. The 10-year-old, not-for-profit organization has opened doors through education, integration, and civic engagement in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Former Sarasota mayor Kelly Krischner, co-founder and current board chair of UnidosNow, spent over four years living and working in Central and South America for the Peace Corps and USAID. Sensitive to the history and challenges faced by the immigrant population upon arrival in this country, he encouraged Luz Corcuera—a Peruvian immigrant herself—to become executive director of the young organization. She assumed the leadership role in 2016. 

“She’s a dynamo/powerhouse and has moved UnidosNow forward with great determination and energy,” says Krischner. 

“We want to be a part of that fabric of that (American) culture, and also not lose our identity,” Corcuera explains. “We are proud of who we are. But at the same time, we recognize that we are preparing the leaders of tomorrow.”

Corcuera has received recognition in the Manasota region for building strong relationships with private, public, faith-based, and civic organizations to close the education achievement gap, reversing negative health trends, and empowering people to civic integration.

Success: Each year, all of the approximately 45 Future Leaders Academy students get accepted into college. Overall, student participants have received more than $8 million in scholarships and grants.

Because Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States and poised to become the majority, UnidosNow offers multifaceted programs to ensure future leaders are ready for the challenge. “The students and their parents that we have in our programs are the workforce of tomorrow,” Corcuera emphasizes.

“I think it’s really encouraging to see that this pipeline of higher education is growing,” says Corcuera, “and the beauty is that college students are mentoring the high school students, and high school students are mentoring the middle school students. So, what they learn gets translated into giving back to the community.” 

Save the Date

UnidosNow plans to celebrate its 10-year anniversary on Friday, May 20, 2022, by offering daytime concerts for school children and an evening event for adults at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Expect a novel and must-see concert that fuses styles, music, and culture. Event details will be posted on unidosnow.org.

For more information about UnidosNow, please visit unidosnow.org or call 941.256.0625.