5 Role Models for Young Latinos

Carole Vargas, Therese Saldivar, Olga Niebla, Judy Campos and Lydia Ledesma share a common trait: a quiet, determined dedication to help others and to give something of themselves back to the community.

They also share an honor. For their personal contributions and achievements, each has been selected as a Hispanic Woman of the Year by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest Latino civic organization in the country.

Each of the five women pursues her life’s goals in her own way. Vargas, of Santa Ana, owns and operates an investment firm in Costa Mesa. Saldivar, also of Santa Ana, owns a jewelry store in downtown Santa Ana. Niebla, of Cypress, is a homemaker. Campos, of Brea, is an administrative assistant for the Brea Community Services Department. And Ledesma, of Irvine, is an administrator at UC Irvine.

LULAC singled them out for two main reasons: Each is considered an outstanding woman in her field. And more important, each serves as a positive role model for young Latinos.

With teen-age pregnancy and chemical substance abuse so disturbingly high, and the school dropout rate for Latino students running as high as 85%, there is an overwhelming need for positive role models.

It’s important that Vargas, Saldivar, Niebla, Campos and Ledesma have been doing that, admirably, for years. But it is even more important to publicly recognize their efforts, because as role models they should be as visible as possible to young Latinos searching for encouragement and hope.