Juana Bordas Latino Leadership for a New Generation

Juana Bordas emigrated to the U.S. from Nicaragua on a banana boat. The youngest daughter in a family of eight, she was the first to go to college. She learned leadership from her hard-working parents especially her mother, Maria, who cooked food and scrubbed floors in the school lunch room so Juana could get a scholarship to a Catholic school. "Their vision, determination, and sacrifice taught me the essence of Servant Leadership." Her early years would instill in her a desire to give back, to make a contribution, and to assist other Latinos/as find their place in society.
After college, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in the barrios of Santiago, Chile assisting women form work cooperatives so they could feed their children. Juana later received the U.S. Peace Corps' Franklin Williams Award for her life-long commitment to advancing communities of color.