Live And Earn

“Being an immigrant made me resourceful, made me a motivated individual. It changed my career track and the way that I view life, and the way that I’m going to teach my daughter to persevere.” -- Juanita Velez Moving from Medellín, Colombia to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of six — and on the first day of the ‘96 Olympics, to boot — Juanita Velez grew up bridging communities. As an adult, she’s made a career of it. Driven by her innate empathy for others, Juanita earned a degree in psychology followed by a master’s in international business, going onto run international communications campaigns for Delta and UPS, companies that are simultaneously homegrown and global — just like Juanita. Early on in the corporate world, Juanita noticed a gap. At networking events, she rarely met anyone like her: young, Latinx, immigrants. Yet she knew these people existed; they were her friends, her classmates, her mentees. To connect that talent with opportunity, Juanita founded HYPE: Hispanic Young Professionals & Entrepr