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Most people want to become successful as quickly as possible. The problem is, many don't know how to go about doing it.
In a Quora thread titled, “How Can I Accelerate My Personal Growth?” users discussed how they get ahead in their working lives.

Here are 17 of the most practical pieces of career advice we found.

1. Determine what you have to offer. As Abraham Lincoln says, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Before thinking about how to get ahead, figure out if the direction you are going in places you in the best position to use your natural skills and contribute to those around you. READ MORE

Microlender Accion Texas is partnering with the Dallas-based Hispanic 100 network of female leaders to raise $250,000 for a capital fund for Latina business owners in North Texas.

The “Latinas Empowering Latinas” fundraising campaign, announced Thursday, is part of a larger statewide effort launched by the Eva Longoria Foundation.

Last year, the foundation and Accion launched the Latina Loan Fund to provide small business loans for Latina entrepreneurs in Texas. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation committed $1 million to support the fund.

The fund disbursed 58 small business loans totaling $500,000 last year. Of that amount, 22 loans totaling $161,000 were given to Latina business owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, according to Accion. READ MORE

Over the past decade, both the Hispanic population in the U.S. and college enrollment increased dramatically. With more Latina women attending college than ever before, popular media depictions of Hispanic young adults seem to lag behind the complex reality of their often unique experiences in higher education.

Writer Jennifer De Leon , who teaches in the Boston Public Schools and at the Grub Street Creative Writing Center, joined Boston Public Radio to discuss her recently published anthology, Wise Latinas . The book features essays written by several prominent Latina women about their college experiences.

De Leon, who is Guatemalan and holds degrees from Connecticut College, the University of San Francisco and the University of Massachusetts-Boston, said she views this anthology as less a creative project and more of a form of activism to dispel the predominant stereotypes of Latin American women. READ MORE

Read bios of Feature Guests of the 2014 Latina Trailblazers Networking Forum presented by Verizon to be held on Wednesday, July 30 at Drumbar Chicago. 

Evangelina Gallegos, Senior Manager, Hemophilia Consumer Marketing, Baxter Healthcare Corporation

Evangelina has nine years of experience in marketing for the healthcare industry. She is currently a Senior Manager within Baxter’s BioScience Consumer Marketing team serving the Hemophilia patient community. She is responsible for patient advocacy programs, medical education, media and community relations. She works closely with the bilingual healthcare educators to build programs for the Latino hemophilia population.
Baxter International Inc. through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions.
Evangelina’s experience includes multi-channel marketing, global brand management, digital marketing and community relations. She is also the marketing lead for Latinos@Baxter, a Baxter employee resource group and sits on several commercial boards within the company. She received an award for team collaboration and project execution in 2012.
Through Baxter, Evangelina volunteers with Junior Achievement, as a bilingual facilitator for the elementary work-readiness and entrepreneurship program for children in K-12th grades.
Evangelina has a B.A. in Marketing from Barat College of DePaul University and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Evangelina is originally from Waukegan, Illinois and is of Mexican descent originating from the state of Michoacan. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and volunteering in the community.

Laura Sanchez, CEO, SWATware LLC.

Laura Sanchez is the founder and CEO of SWATware LLC, a full-service Information Technology (IT) firm that delivers comprehensive IT and Web solutions, with a focus in Cyber Security. Laura’s intent when founding SWATware was to create a one-stop IT consulting firm that develops and executes customized solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Her goal is for SWATware to become an integral partner for each client with the mantra “Big enough to provide all of your solutions and small enough to care for all of your concerns.”

With over ten years of experience as a consultant, Laura has assisted numerous businesses in improving their online presence, while at the same time improving the security and reliability of their IT infrastructure. She is one of the few existing Latina entrepreneurs in Chicago’s Technology field, combining her quality services and passion for IT by sharing her experience with small business owners in various capacities. Laura has utilized her proficiency in both English and Spanish to perform work internationally and is well recognized for her expertise in the IT field. She has spoken for the City of Chicago (BACP), the IHCC (Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), HACIA, UNAM Chicago and other organizations dedicated to educational and economic development that encourage the proper use of technology both professionally and personally.

Laura received her Master’s degree in Innovation and Business Development from the Tec de Monterrey, one of the top universities in Mexico. She graduated Summa Cum Laude when receiving her undergraduate degree in International Business and Marketing. In 2013, Laura was awarded the Nueva Latina Estrella Award in the Technology category by Verizon, and was an honorable mention recipient for the 2013 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards by Enterprising Women Magazine that same year. These awards are meant to honor women business owners who have demonstrated high potential-growth and stand out as leaders in their communities.

Rosa Zamora, Strategy Consultant, Education Initiatives, CE Social Impact

Rosa Zamora is dedicated to building a national cross-sector collaborative of schools, community based organizations, higher education institutions, companies, and government associations with a goal to increase college attainment for underrepresented students. Being the first in her family to graduate from college Rosa Zamora understands the challenges many first generation colleges students face and is motivated to helpings students across the country achieve their life dreams. Her efforts to decrease the education achievement gap go beyond her role as a Strategy Consultant to serving on the KIPP Chicago Advisory Board, Mujeres Latinas en Accion’s Young Professional Advisory Council, and the Chicago Community Trust’s Latino Giving Circle. She previously served on the Mujeres de HACE Advisory Board, a professional development program designed to empower high potential women to become leaders in their fields. She is an alumna of the Metropolitan Leadership Institute and YNPN’s Leadership Institute. Rosa has also held positions with organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, Instituto del Progreso Latino, YWCA, Junior Achievement, New Futuro, and College Greenlight. Rosa was the 2012 recipient of the Verizon Nueva Latina Estrella Award for her contributions in education.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Illinois, a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications from Columbia College Chicago. She is in the process of completing a Masters of Business Administration at National Louis University. In addition to these roles, Rosa is a proud mom of two young daughters.

Silvia Bonilla, Director, Small Business Development Center at Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Silvia Bonilla currently serves as Director of the Small Business Development Center at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), the leading Hispanic business, networking, advocacy and development organization in Illinois. In this role, she is responsible for the overall administration of the program, leading day-to-day operations as they relate to all aspects of small business.

Silvia is an experienced business consultant with an expertise in small business development, providing one-on-one consultation in both English and Spanish to small business owners on all phases of their business. Her services include, but are not limited to, financing, business plan creation and development, feasibility analysis, loan packaging, franchising, government contracts, intellectual property, legal, manufacturing, marketing, technology and product development. Silvia is also responsible for developing strategic assistance plans designed to stimulate business growth as well as various business educational trainings.

Silvia has spoken and participated as a panelist at many business-related venues such as at the City of Chicago’s Monthly Business Education Workshops Series, Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Mujeres Avanzando Program, Women Business Development Center’s Child Care Business Expo, Chicago City Treasurer’s Expo Business Workshops, and the U.S. Department of State’s La Idea Competition, to name a few. She is also a member of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and runs the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, which focuses mainly on accounting, human resources, negotiation, and marketing.

Born in El Salvador, Silvia received her Bachelor of Arts and History in Education from Loyola University in Chicago as well as her Master’s in Business Administration. She has participated in two certificate programs, one focusing on nonprofit growth leadership at the University of Notre Dame, and the other on executive education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Silvia spent over 5 years teaching K-4^th grade at CPS prior to joining the Chamber in 2008. Her love of teaching now fuels her passion for assisting small businesses in their mission to grow and thrive.

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Hispanic women over 25 are the most frequent moviegoers, with over one in five saying they have seen all the recent major movies, according to a study polling 1,500 people who go to the theaters more than 6 times a year.

The study - conducted by the marketing firm C4 for The Wrap, which first reported the story, found Latinas frequent all sorts of movies, from Godzilla and 22 Jump Street to Maleficent and Neighbors. The study found Latinas go to superhero movies as frequently as men, and are more likely to go to the movies with their families than non-Latinas. READ MORE

Yuniba Montoya was accustomed to cheering from the sidelines as her sons played soccer. Then one day her son asked: “Why don’t you play sometime so you can see what it’s like?”

That’s all it took for Montoya and a group of fellow Latina mothers in Shakopee to move from the sidelines onto the field and start planning a league of their own. With a $4,095 grant this month from Allina Health, they’ve created the Esperanza Latina Soccer League, which recently took to the field for its first practice.

For Montoya, a Mexican immigrant who works at McDonald’s, the grant was a godsend. She said many of her friends can’t afford child care or gym memberships to get regular exercise. For some, even driving to a health club can be a challenge. READ MORE

The White House recently hosted Summits on Working Families across the country, focusing on “how we can strengthen our nation’s workplaces to better support working families, boost businesses’ bottom lines, and ensure America’s global economic competitiveness in the coming decades.”

The June 23 summit in Washington brought hundreds of participants from labor and nonprofit organizations, businesses, elected officials and citizens who came together to talk about how to build a workforce and a workplace that meet the needs of today.

The Working Families Summit presented some facts on how our workforce has changed: “Just as the makeup of the typical American family has shifted, so has the dynamic of our workforce. Women, particularly mothers, have increasingly entered the workforce and now make up roughly half of all workers in the United States. Only 27 percent of mothers were breadwinners or co-breadwinners in American families in 1967. Fast forward to 2011, and nearly two-thirds of mothers are breadwinners or co-breadwinners.” READ MORE

In preparation for the upcoming Latinas Think Big Innovation Summit this October, at Google's campus in Silicon Valley, I have been on a quest to identify Latinas around the country who are innovating in technology and across STEM fields.

I admit I stepped into this search with some trepidation - informed by reports and articles that continuously characterize Latinas as avid consumers and early adapters of technology, but significantly less engaged in the creation of new technology tools, in tech entrepreneurship or innovation.

But, as I delved deep into my social media networks, inquiring for names of Latinas who were innovating in technology, I began to see the new faces of innovation. Online research also revealed these new faces - as I pieced together "Top Latinas in STEM or Technology" lists, articles and interviews from online magazines, news digital platforms and blogs. Not surprisingly, I also found many of these women actively engaged on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ communities. READ MORE

2014 has been a rough year for English-language Latino media, argues Alfredo Estrada, editor of LATINO Magazine, with two flagship outlets folding and a third signaling it may do the same. The result is a growing Latino population that is, in Estrada's words increasingly less informed.

They're folding like cheap card tables. Since the beginning of the year, we've seen the demise of NBCLatino.com, an English-language website for Latinos, as well as CNN Latino, Time Warner's year-long effort to create programming for the U.S. Hispanic market. Now come rumors that Poder, Televisa's magazine providing "Intelligence for the Business Elite," may cease publication.

Hold on, amigo. Isn't the Latino market growing in demographic leaps and bounds? Don't we have a zillion dollars in purchasing power? Didn't we decide the election? One would think that Latino media should be thriving. READ MORE

Whether to enroll in graduate school is a decision that plagues Americans in all stages of their careers, but particularly those who may have worked for several years already but are considering a jump to the next level. Many jobs now require additional study beyond a bachelor's degree, but warnings about the burden of student debt may deter those considering this option.

To determine the best and worst master's degrees for jobs in 2014, Forbes consulted with compensation data site Payscale.com to obtain mid-career data for 45 popular master's degrees. The mid-career median salary of those holding each degree was then averaged with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' projected employment growth of jobs associated with each degree.

Many of the degrees and associated jobs appearing on each end of this ranking may seem surprising. Political science and international relations, for example, are two of the degrees that make the best list. READ MORE

From music to politics to business, Hispanics are remaking America. TIME presents 25 titans leading the Latino charge into the 21st century.

Jorge Ramos

As a 24-year-old reporter in Mexico City, Jorge Ramos felt choked by more than just the capital's notorious smog. Tired of censorship from Mexico's then ruling party, the P.R.I., Ramos bolted for Los Angeles in 1983, and in just three years he won the top CONNews anchor spot at Univision, the U.S.'s largest Spanish-language network. An Emmy-winning journalist who combines looks and eloquence with bluntness and tenacity, Ramos, 47, once got slugged by Fidel Castro's bodyguard for asking Castro if Cuba would ever hold democratic elections. READ MORE

In a recent interview with ABC News Univision, I reiterated what happens when you underestimate the Latino voter and don’t bother to make the effort to truly understand the community and its cultural values. Perhaps now with both political parties finally starting to acknowledge the importance of the Latino vote – backed up by Big Data and a fast-growing community that also extends to their use of mobile technology and social media – the business world will finally step up to the Hispanic “super-consumer” opportunity before them.

The Hispanic community is one of the greatest untapped markets we have ever seen. Already the largest minority in the U.S., their numbers continue to grow faster than any other group. Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent, or four times the nation’s 9.7 percent growth rate. READ MORE

Community Healthcare Network (CHN) operates 12 federally qualified health centers in some of the most underserved communities in New York City. Each year, the nonprofit provides more than 75,000 people, many who are uninsured, with critical access to basic primary care, mental health services, nutritional counseling, dentistry, and more.

Community-based care is at the core of CHN's mission. The organization believes in offering health care services in locations that are easily accessible to its patients. To better serve those individuals, who are not as likely to visit a health center, CHN offers confidential educational outreach and sexual health services through its medical mobile van weekly throughout Manhattan and Queens. The mobile van also responds to specific health crises as they arise.

During these health care visits, counselors and physicians say they encounter an increasingly aging and diverse population confronting higher rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. READ MORE

Denny's Corporation is reaching out to its Latino fans on Facebook.

The American diner chain, best known for its "Grand Slam" breakfasts, recently launched a 'Denny's Latino' Facebook page in an effort to engage with its customers and get the attention of the 23 million Latinos who are active on the social site. More than one in five of Denny's customers are Latinos, the company states.

Already attracting 883 likes, Denny's most recent post has netted 60 shares and 247 likes for a 'Red, White & Blue Remix' video post featuring a Latino rapper who sings about the Grand Slam breakfast. READ MORE

Everyone is networking these days: going to conventions, building up LinkedIn contacts and the like. But now what? How can you actually get some value out of meeting Fred at that alumni event, or Jeannette at the sales conference? LinkedIn’s billionaire chairman and co-founder, Reid Hoffman, would like to help.

In a new book called “The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Network Age,” Hoffman and two co-authors spend 147 pages answering various “Now what?” questions. Their early chapters focus mostly on a variety of career paths that people might take, and their advice makes sense mostly for people in “asset-light” businesses such as consulting and high tech, where project-hopping is common, easy and admired. I didn’t find much that was relevant for anyone in traditional manufacturing or a geographically confined job. READ MORE

Being a job seeker in today’s workforce is a challenge. There’s isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to help job seekers land a job. In fact, if you want to be a standout job seeker, you have to go above and beyond to land on the radar of employers.

Many job seekers today wonder why they must work so hard to find a job they love. After all, shouldn’t landing a job be easy? Unfortunately, when employers hire new employees, they want candidates with the strongest talent and most experience. Employers believe this is a guaranteed way to improve the success of their company.

Here are some tips for job seekers looking to stand out during their job search:
1. Show how you’re a service to your industry. READ MORE

Three weeks ago, Rainbow PUSH made a direct and public appeal for Silicon Valley technology companies to release their EEO-1 reports and workforce data.

Today, Facebook positively responded and posted its workforce data. Facebook joins a growing list of companies - Intel, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Cisco and others - that are confronting the lack of diversity and inclusion, with integrity and transparency. This is a step in the right direction.

But the numbers tell the story. Blacks and Latinos are being left out of the technology revolution. Facebook reports that its overall workforce is just 4% Latino and 2% Black; 69% male and 31% women overall. Hispanics make up just 4% and Blacks 1% of senior level positions.

Truly there is a long way to go to break the virtual exclusion of Blacks and Latinos from Silicon Valley’s technology industry. The tech industry is perhaps the worst industry in the nation when it comes to inclusion, and their paltry workforce data extends to the composition of their Boards of Directors and C-suite leadership. READ MORE

Hispanics have accounted for at least 20 percent of opening weekend ticket sales for every hit this summer, Nielsen research shows

Hollywood experts love to fret about the future of the movie business, but the industry has begun to embrace one group that is indisputably on the rise: the Hispanic audience.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, and their passion for movies is unsurpassed. The group bought 25 percent of the tickets sold in 2013 though they comprise just 17 percent of the population, according to the Motion Picture Association of America's year-end study.

According to figures from the U.S. Census and a Nielsen report on movie audiences, Hispanics make up 15 percent of the population over the age of 12, and 19 percent of tickets sold for teens and older. READ MORE

2014 Copa Alianza de Futbol Hispano

The Most Prestigious Amateur Hispanic Soccer Tour

in the Nation Returns for Eleventh Season

Chicago, IL (July 14, 2014)– Alianza de Futbol Hispano, the nation’s leading organization

dedicated to providing unique and exclusive opportunities to the Hispanic soccer community in the U.S.,  announced the 2014 Copa Alianza programs and  tournament: RAM Copa Alianza,  Kellogg’s Copita Alianza, Sueño Alianza and Alianza U,

RAM Copa Alianza is the longest running event of its kind, as well as the largest national Hispanic amateur soccer program in the United States, showcasing the country’s top adult amateur Hispanic teams. The series of 11 tournaments will feature over 5,000 of adult and women players between 18 and 40 years of age and include over $100,000 in cash and prizes. The series of premier local tournaments will take place from May through September in 11 cities.

The 6th edition of the Kellogg’s Copita Alianza tournament is the largest Hispanic amateur youth soccer tournament in the United States with over 1,100 teams and 20,000 players.

7UP Sueño Alianza is a scouting program with participating scouts from 14 Liga MX teams, MLS clubs, US Soccer and the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF).

Alianza U presented by Verizon provides the tools and information students need to attain their goals for higher education. Students, ages 15-20, can enter to win a $20,000 Scholarship. www.AlianzaU.com

2014’s Alianza de Futbol lineup of national sponsors includes Verizon, 7UP, Kellogg’s, RAM Truck and Telemundo.

Alianza U presents Verizon’s Prize Locker event with Jorge Campos. This allows fans of all ages to meet Jorge and win prizes such as: 2014 FIFA World Cup official soccer ball, national jerseys and much more!  Sunday, July 27, 2014 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.at  Verizon Wireless Store, 12632 South Rte 59, Ste 50, Plainfield, IL.
 

Calendar:

July 26 & 27

Chicago Tournaments 

Naperville Polo Fields: 23700 W 119th St. Plainfield,

From 8:00AM.- 8:00 PM. both days.

Sunday, July 27                     

Prize Soccer Locker event with Jorge Campos:

Verizon WirelessStore, 12632 South Rte 59, Ste 50, Plainfield, IL

2:00-4:00 PM          

For more information of Copa Alianza please visit www.alianzadefutbol.com

About Alianza de Futbol Hispano

Founded in 2004, Alianza de Futbol Hispano is the leading national organization dedicated to the support and development of amateur Hispanic soccer in the United States. We empower Hispanic soccer communities, families, and soccer players by providing prestigious soccer programs equal to those that exist for Anglo players so that Hispanics may reach their full soccer potential and succeed in education, life, and work. Alianza de Futbol programs include RAM Copa Alianza, the country’s largest adult Hispanic soccer tournament; Kellogg’s Copita Alianza, the country’s largest youth tournament; 7UP Sueño Alianza, the premier scouting program in the US for amateur Hispanic players and Alianza U, a college recruiting platform designed to help Hispanic players better understand the college recruiting process. For more

information, visit www.alianzadefutbol.com or call 1-866-538-4955.

Have you been asked to provide a bio and wondered what to include and how to craft it so it doesn’t sound stale or too self-promotional? Or maybe you want to update or add to your social networking profiles.

Consider your audience: Who will be reading/listening to your bio and what do you want them to remember about you?

If you are presenting at a conference or event, consider the attendees’ interests and highlight information that is relevant, memorable and builds credibility. Is your target audience contemporary, traditional, creative, or conservative? You will want you bio’s style to appeal to their style as well. READ MORE