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According to a new CBS News poll, the outlook of Hispanic Americans on their lives, their family’s future, and their opportunities in the U.S., is markedly optimistic.

And in what has been a bitterly-divisive election season, a majority of the American public thinks Hispanics have a positive influence on American culture -- both on society overall (51%) and on the country’s food (78%) and arts and entertainment (57%).

Like Americans overall, Hispanics think immigrants make the U.S. a better place (57%), and most support a path to citizenship for those who came here illegally (especially as children). READ MORE AT CBS NEWS

From a mostly white southern city devastated by the 1980s oil bust, Houston has transformed into a thriving international metropolis that in 2050 is projected to look more like El Paso, a predominantly Hispanic city on the Mexican border. An El Paso, that is, with Texas-sized shares of white, black and Asian residents.

It's the face of America's future - a stunning turnaround for a one-horse oil town built on a swamp by two New York City real estate promoters. Now the city is the bellwether for the nation as it navigates the challenges of its changing demographics years ahead of the rest of the country. READ MORE AT HOUSTON CHRONICLE

You've heard that networking is the best way to land a job, but you still reject the idea. It's much easier to submit your resume online.

Instead of thinking about how much you dislike schmoozing and meeting people you don't know, be open to the idea of learning about companies and uncovering things you have in common with complete strangers.

There's no such thing as a bad networking contact. Shift your belief that networking is a waste of time. Every person you know (or meet) could potentially connect you to a valuable resource. READ MORE AT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

Latinas in the United States are making progress in a number of areas, in fact, "extraordinary progress," according to findings presented at a gathering at the White House.

The graduation rate among young Latinas increased 15 percent from 2003 to 2013, and a greater number of Latinas are continuing on to college.

The report also found that Hispanic women-owned businesses are growing at a faster rate than all women-owned businesses and represent more than $71 billion in revenue in 2014, with expectations it will increase further. READ MORE AT HOLA ARKANSAS

Like many other things, networking is a skill. To keep that skill fresh, here are four simple pieces of advice that follow a common theme: They begin with "be":

* Be consistent. Networking is not something you only do when you need new clients. You must be consistent about attending events. I have a few friends who network like crazy when their sales pipeline is dry, then stop networking so they can meet up with all the people they met at those events. And then they start the cycle all over again by networking like crazy to meet more people. READ MORE AT LOWELL SUN

Hispanic Heritage Month, which is generally observed from September 15th-October 15th, is a time to celebrate the contributions and unique heritage of Hispanics and Latinos — except, according to many Latinos, in the workplace.

According to a new study published by the Center for Talent Innovation, Latinos at Work: Unleashing the Power of Culture, most Latinos in the U.S. do not feel that they can bring their whole selves to the office. We found the vast majority of Latinos (76%) repress parts of their personas at work. READ MORE AT HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW.

On Wednesday, Biz2Credit released its annual study that revealed revenues at Hispanic-owned companies improve substantially in a year-to-year comparison. Hispanic entrepreneurs on the website notably grew by 68.7% in the past 12 months and Hispanic-owned companies had average annual revenues of $202,327, up from $68,540 the previous year while non-Hispanic-owned companies had average annual revenues of $206,855, an increase from $70,645 in 2015.

The study was conduction on over 25,000 small businesses, including over 2,000 Hispanic entrepreneurs who applied for business financing on the online platform in the last year. READ MORE AT CROWDFUND INSIDER

An estimated 55 million Hispanics live in the U.S., approximately 17% of the country’s population, according to the Census Bureau. Further, there are more than four million Hispanic-owned businesses throughout the U.S., and their revenues have climbed to more than $660 billion, according to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In fact, Hispanic entrepreneurs have been starting businesses at a pace 15 times the national average over the last decade. READ MORE AT FORBES

In 2012, I was working in the Park Avenue offices of BlackRock, investing in hedge funds. I managed a great, diverse team of people, and every day I got to chat with the most successful investors in the world.

But I felt an itch. I wanted to learn about a new industry. I wanted to be more creative. I wanted to tweet using my real name, and break out of my rotation of the same five Brooks Brothers slim-fit shirts.

Here’s where you might expect to hear about my big epiphany... READ MORE AT QUARTZ

Law school enrollment has decreased each year since 2010, according to numbers from the American Bar Association (ABA). That was the all-time high with more than 147,000 students at the 204 ABA-approved schools. But, there’s an interesting trend taking place amid this overall student reduction: more minority students are being admitted and attending law school.

Hispanics are applying to law school less frequently than in 2010, along with all other groups. The change is that more Hispanics and other minorites are being accepted. In the 2012-13 school year, nearly 36,000 non-white students were attending law school. That was the highest level on record, following steady increases each year since tracking began in 1987. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education followed up on the numbers with interviews at schools with significant Hispanic enrollment. READ MORE AT GOODCALL

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. This is a good opportunity to reflect on the progress Latinas have made in the workplace. Compared to previous generations, today’s Latinas tend to be more educated, empowered, independent and comfortable putting themselves at the center of life decisions.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the workplace, where Latinas are making extraordinary advancements.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latinas’ share of the labor force nearly doubled over the last 20 years. And by 2022, Latinas are projected to account for 17.3 percent of the female labor force and 8.1 percent of the total labor force. Taking a closer look, Latinas have raised their representation between 30 and 40 percent in teaching, law, medicine, and management professions over the last decade.

While Latinas are making strides, they remain underrepresented across all professions... READ MORE AT 3BL MEDIA

“Follow your passion.”

Perhaps you’ve been told this. It’s similar to that other simplistic slogan: “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

The biggest problem with these extremely popular pieces of advice is that they make the process of choosing and building a career look easy. Just follow your bliss, as the saying goes, and your life will fall into place as if by magic.

The fact is, however, that finding meaningful work that reflects our interests, values, responsibilities and, yes, passions is not easy at all. It can take many years, numerous false starts and much sacrifice. READ MORE AT THE SEATTLE TIMES

Mayra Navarro’s bank closed her account after a series of overdrafts. She wasn’t eligible to open another bank account because she had been blacklisted by ChexSystems, an agency that tracks consumers’ banking histories. Like many unbanked Hispanics, she turned to prepaid debit cards, check cashing services and money orders, which all came with fees.

“I felt like I had failed at life and lost all control,” says Navarro, an executive assistant in California.

She’s not alone. Recent data by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation reveals that approximately 16% of Hispanic households don’t have bank accounts. THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

It makes sense for advertisers to target Hispanics, considering the continual growth of the segment.

But there is another advantage in focusing on the Hispanic audience: They’re great at passing along word of mouth brand endorsements.

That’s according to a study from Keller Fay Group, which looked at brand mentions per week over the course of a year.

It found the general public made an average of 62 brand mentions per week, both online and offline. That number was 58 per week for non-Hispanics.

Among Hispanics the number was significantly higher, at 80 word of mouth mentions per week. That included 75 brand mentions per week for English-speaking Hispanics and 83 per week for Spanish-speaking Hispanics. READ MORE AT MEDIALIFE

Read feature guest biographies of the 2016 Fall Banking and Finance Networking Forum next Wednesday October 19 at the Dana Hotel and Spa Chicago.

Moderator

Nora Renteria, TV Host, Un Nuevo Amanecer, as featured on Telemundo Chicago

Nora Renteria is a professional Operational Risk manager at BMO Harris with more than a 10 years in corporate financial. She is a TV co-host for “Un Nuevo Amanecer” on Telemundo, as well as an author of “Today’s Inspired Latina” and public speaker at schools and corporations. She is also an active community volunteer for several non-for- profit organizations.

Nora has a special interest in empowering young adults by mentoring and serves on the board of directors for a non-profit organization. She holds a B.A in Business Administration from Columbia College and a Leadership certificate from Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE). Nora has also been featured in Inc. Magazine, radio shows and Telemundo television.

Discussion Panelists

Rodrigo Garcia, Head of Investments Banking & Finance, Illinois State Treasury

Rodrigo Garcia serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Illinois State Treasury. In this pivotal executive post, Garcia directs the treasury’s combined $25 billion fixed income, equity, and venture capital portfolios, all investment and financial professionals, multiple asset classes and $300 billion in related banking and financial services in order to maximize portfolio returns and bolster the Illinois macro and micro economy.

He holds two post-graduate degrees, one in finance from the University of Illinois and one in public policy from Northwestern University and recently completed a senior executives program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Garcia was previously the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and a member of the Illinois Cabinet, and has also worked for Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Garcia serves as the Chairman Emeritus of Student Veterans of America, as Chairman of the National Hispanic Life Sciences Society, as Board Vice President for Teatro Vista Theatre Company, and as a trustee for the Northeastern Illinois University Foundation Board. He is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow, an ACPYL Fellow, a Truman Partner and an Aspen Institute Scholar. Garcia has also been named one of the "Top 100 under 50" Executive Leaders by Diversity MBA Magazine and was recognized as a "Rising Star" by the National Society of Hispanic MBA's.

He is an avid entrepreneur, a successful financier, and an angel investor.

Gisela Reyna Gutiérrez, Director of Finance, Northwestern University -Kellogg School of Management

Gisela is the Director of Finance at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, she oversees the Financial Operations of the Executive Education program comprised of Open Enrollment and Custom programs, and the Executive Master’s Program both in Evanston and Miami campus. She has 23 years of service in academia, 3 of those at her current position. She has held different positions within Northwestern University.

Gisela is co-founder of Kellogg Enlace Network an employee led resource group and currently serves as the co-president. She has volunteered for various organizations including UNITE Civic Association in her community and for Ladder-Up a City-Wide Tax Assistance Program that provides free tax return preparation for the underserved community. She has also served as a mentor for new incoming freshman.

Gisela received her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Human Resources from Northeastern University and MBA certificate from Kellogg School of Management - Executive Education. Also holds an Associate Degree in Accounting from Truman College.

Lori Hernandez, Vice President, Sr. Relationship Manager, BMO Harris Bank

Lori Hernandez serves as Vice President, Senior Commercial Relationship Manager, providing customized credit solutions to privately held businesses since 1998. She has extensive commercial banking experience and has sourced and managed loan portfolios in excess of $133 Million with some of the most sensitive and complex client relationships. She has worked at three leading financial institutions and was recognized as a top banker having sourced and closed $89 Million in 36 months, prior to joining BMO Harris Bank in 2015.

Lori is committed to her clients’ success and has a particular expertise in working with business owners seeking to grow their businesses. She anticipates clients’ choices by actively listening and fully grasping their vision, objectives, and needs. Subsequently, she structures customized credit and cash management solutions to help facilitate operating efficiencies and long term growth.

Lori graduated with upper level distinction honors and obtained her finance degree from Northern Illinois University. Active in civic and community affairs, Lori has been involved in many organizations as the Vice Chair of the Greater North Chicago Development Corporation, Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries, Schaumburg Business Association, Commercial Real Estate Executive Women, and the Executive Women's Golf Association, as well as local chambers of commerce.

Jesse L. Martinez, CEO, Trust One Mortgage LLC.

Jesse L. Martinez is a Chicago native and has more than 22 years of Mortgage, real estate, and financial experience. Getting his start as an investor at age 21, when he bought his first multi-unit investment property in 1993. From 1998 to 2008, he owned a mortgage company. Building his corporation to eight locations with over 200 employees. His business’s also included a title company, along with a real estate investment firm where he purchased, rehabbed and sold properties.

Since 2008, he has served as Vice President for Global Wealth and Investment Management at Bank of America. Later he worked as Vice President for the Premier Client Group at Bmo Harris Bank and other financial institutions.

Today, he serves as the CEO of Trust One Mortgage, LLC. located in the south loop. This organization specializes in educating the public and presenting mortgage options to serve each clients’ individual needs. His partners and staff possess a wealth of knowledge ensuring the very best relationship-driven customer service experience possible.
Jesse enjoys spending time with his two children and engaging in their activities. He is currently a coach for his daughter’s hockey team.

Don't miss out. Time is running out to register >> http://bit.ly/2dPYe5M

If you sit at your desk, stare out the window, and wish for a job that actually makes you happy, then it may be time to move your career in a new direction. This is especially true if you've been at it for a few years and find that nothing ever gets better. While we all occasionally get stuck in a bad gig for money's sake, life is simply too short to spend your working hours doing something you find boring, tedious, or unfulfilling.

This is true long-term jobs, but it also applies to new jobs that you find yourself despising. READ MORE AT BUSTLE

If you’re not working with Hispanic clients, you’re missing a huge market, as they remain one of the fastest growing homebuying demographics.

However, if you’re not Hispanic yourself, there are a few things you might want to know before you dive in. Below are some tips from the top two winners of NAHREP’s Top 250 award, Mario Negron, owner/broker associate, RE/MAX Prestige in Houston, Texas, and Claudia Restrepo, of Keller Williams Realty The Legacy Group in Spokane, Wash.

Don’t forget to listen. “The biggest mistake agents make when working with Hispanic clients is not paying attention,” READ MORE AT RISMEDIA

Jorge Gutierrez had a degree in business and a passion to own a company. His wife, Erika Gutierrez, had a degree and after working her way to the top position at an early child learning company was at a crossroads — continue as director or open her own school.

The Schererville couple chose the entrepreneurial route, joining a growing number of Hispanics in Indiana and across the country in owning their own businesses. READ MORE AT CHICAGO TRIBUNE

ABC 7 CHICAGO will highlight the rich culture and traditions of Chicago’s Hispanic community during Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15.  ABC 7 will celebrate Chicago’s diverse community with special news reports; the broadcast of the The 26^th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade; a half-hour edition of THE Ñ BEAT; a series of vignettes and special segment on ABC 7’s Windy City LIVE featuring a Latino Fashion Week fashion show. 

The 26^th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade, sponsored by the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, is hosted by ABC 7’s Stacey Baca and Cesareo Moreno, chief curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art.  ABC 7’s parade broadcast, in the heart of the Little Village neighborhood, illuminates Mexican culture and is considered one of the most colorful parades in Chicago.  More than 200,000 spectators are treated to mariachi bands and floats including the ABC 7 Chicago float, where members of the ABC 7 Eyewitness team – Rob Elgas, Michelle Gallardo, John Garcia, Leah Hope, Will Jones and Roz Varon --will be riding and greeting those watching along the parade route.  This year’s Grand Marshal is Grammy Award Winning singer/musician Ramon Ayala. The parade kicks off at Noon and airs on ABC 7 from 4-5PM on Sunday, September 11.

Throughout September and October, ABC 7 will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with vignettes spotlighting some of the influential and talented artists and business persons who will be featured in the upcoming October 8th edition of THE Ñ BEAT.

ABC 7’s Windy City LIVE, with hosts Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini, will spotlight Latino Fashion Week by featuring some of the hottest fashions from emerging Latina and Latino designers, Thursday, September 29 at 1:00 PM.

ABC 7 will broadcast its Emmy Award-winning program, THE Ñ BEAT, hosted by Stacey Baca, with special contributions by ABC 7’s Tanja Babich, Rob Elgas, Michelle Gallardo, John Garcia, and Roz Varon, Saturday, October 8 at 6:30 PM, with an encore presentation on Sunday, October 9, at 4:30 PM.   

          On this Hispanic Heritage Month edition of THE Ñ BEAT, the show highlights the Puerto Rican Cultural Museum. Located in Humboldt Park, in the center of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, the museum is the only self-standing museum in the nation devoted exclusively to showcasing Puerto Rican Art and Culture year-round. Chief Executive Officer Billy Ocasio talks about this special place where a gala celebrating Hamilton playwright, Lin-Manuel Miranda, will take place.

 Then, KC Caldwell, managing editor of Hispanic Executives, gives some insight on this national publication, which is located right here in Chicago.  Next, some of the most eye-popping fashions from Latino fashion Week designers will be featured front and center. Then, THE Ñ BEAT samples some mouth-watering home-cooked dishes from the only Costa Rican Restaurant in Chicago. Irazu, located in the Buck Town neighborhood, is an American Dream turned into reality for this family owned business.

This half-hour special will also profile the talented Erick "Roho" Garcia, the artist in residence at Blue 1647, an entrepreneurship and technology innovation center. Garcia has taught art for After School Matters for 8 years and even founded his own incubator for up and coming artists struggling to get discovered, called EXPO Collective. 

The Ñ Beat and The 26^th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade will be available on-demand at www.abc7chicago.com. Cathy Karp is the producer of the parade. Matt Knutson is the executive producer of Windy City LIVE.  Rubye Wilson and Holly Grisham are the producers of THE Ñ BEAT.

Janeth Barrera Cantu has spent most of her 18 years living in a cramped trailer in rural North Carolina with her three siblings and parents. Eight years ago, her father was deported to Mexico, where he was shot and killed, a crime that remains unsolved. For several years afterward, her mother, Maria, was left as the sole breadwinner for the family of five.

The trailer is just down the road from Hickory, a town Reader’s Digest named one of the 10 best places in America to raise a family and that business magazines have hailed for its entrepreneurial climate. That’s where Maria Cantu earns a living cleaning houses. She now has a boyfriend who helps raise the children; he works in a glove factory. READ MORE AT THE ATLANTIC