NEWS

Francisco Alvarez sits by the Royal Ontario Museum as passerbys enter the prestigious facility By Jabbari Weekes
to Ospina, the ceremony pulls from a variety of industry leaders all over Canada in the Hispanic community. With nominees ranging from club owners to university professors. Were a young community that has grown with a new wave of thinkers and leaders and now we have a night where the Hispanic culture can focus on its success, Ospina said. According to both Alvarez and Gomez, they were in fact part of one of those waves, arriving in Canada in the 1970s albeit from different countries. Alvarez was born in Columbia where Gomez was born in Ecuador, with both of their families moving to find greater opportunities. For both of them the awards arent as important as the annual progression of the growing community. To Gomez, the community is still slowly finding its voice.

An Investment in the influence of Hispanics

For one night different faces for the same underlying basis surrounded the Hispanic community from various places: success. While, a rhyming scheme was definitely not a factor, success and prosperity certainly were central themes at the 10 most influential Hispanics awards. Two of the several recipients, Francisco Alvarez, Managing Director for the Institute of Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum and Dr. Rosario Gomez, professor of language and linguistics at Guelph University see the awards as a first step in representing a new face in Toronto, Hispanics. As a Hispanic member its gratifying to know that there are people in different fields doing what they love and doing it so well, I think it has to be celebrated, Gomez said. Created by Mauricio Ospina, international market consultant, influential Hispanic Canadians was formed in 2007. According

everybody else will, Gomez said. Together they believe that the potential of the Hispanic community is very much there and the influential Hispanic expo is a stepping stone in the right direction I think when we celebrate our success it makes us want to do better and when we do better we can give back to our community so I think its a cycle, Gomez said. For next year Alvarez plans to open a a food festival at Harbourfront centre while Gomez still continues her research for her Spanish lectures

The thing is we know the work that we do but I think its really important to get the people out there and recognize ourselves and then
Did You Know? Ecuador has 24 provinces.

PAGINA p.aji.na 22 veintidos (ven.tee.dohs)