Message from the editor: January 2013

What a sensation of vastness we feel imagining the new year that awaits us, nascent and full of promises. We feel that inner strength that assures us that everything we wish to achieve will be materialized. The pages of each day are still in blank, hoping to be filled with our dreams and daily duties.

We have exemplary lives that inspire and give us the courage to pursue ideals, and to not abdicate. The undeniable example of Cesar Chávez, who succeeded through his peaceful resistance that banned the use of pesticides and fertilizers for crops, very powerful poisons the field workers were exposed to, and that poisoned them and their families. Cesar Chávez is wellknown for his civil rights fights, but his work in support of caring for the environment and the link between human beings and the environment is much more substantial.

And we are surrounded with people that we do not even guess the positive impact, in smaller or larger scale, they have in others, in their community, in the world. I invite you to read the story of Ava Steaffens, our Outstanding Personality, the motor behind KidWorks. Ava, modest and silent, has always dreamed big, and from the moment she pledged to work for KidWorks, she didn’t wait for someone to tell her what to do, she began expanding its small center into a model institution, and now she works tirelessly to acquire three more buildings where to teach and train more leaders of tomorrow. Her tenacity, determination and genuine desire to help who is in most need is overwhelming .

And at home, we have young people who are making history. The percentage of Hispanic students admitted for the fall of 2012 at the University of California (UC) is the highest ever and practically equal to the Caucasians, according to their data. The increase in Hispanic students accepted into UC is constant, being the fastest growing ethnic group in the last three years at the University. Also, the University of Southern California (USC) is interested in attracting more low income Latino students and has created free games on Facebook http://apps.facebook.com/missionadmission for them to learn the process of college admission and how to apply for financial aid through that game.

With all these positive data, with all the boundless energy we feel about this promising and stable 2013, we will start filling out our first pages of the year.