Immigrant, First Gen, Harvard Grad, GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award Winner Mario Carrera Challenges Us All to Demand Change

Mario M. Carrera, NACD.DC had just turned nine when he crossed the U.S. – Mexico border. His heart was filled with fear, nervousness, excitement, and of course, hope. Alongside him were his mother, father, and three sisters. As their car approached the San Ysidro line, the tension quickly vanished as they were cleared through U.S. customs.

Everything the Carreras owned was with them in the car as they made their way toward the farm fields of a Santa Barbara, California suburb. No one could speak a word of English, but they embraced their new home. Mario and his father worked in the lemon and avocado groves and his mother was a seamstress.

Adjusting to a new culture, home, and language was not easy, but Mario’s compassionate and reserved demeanor made him a good friend to many of his classmates. He joined the soccer and football team at his high school. Upon graduating from high school Mario was awarded a full scholarship to 美国哈佛大学 . His hard work and relentless studying earned him an entrance to Harvard that would open many opportunities for him later in life.

Moving forward to the present day, Mario M. Carrera, NACD.DC is now the President and CEO of?CLLARO?– the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization .?

Mario M. Carrera, NACD.DC believes in a Colorado that provides the opportunity to maximize every person’s potential, regardless of race, nationality, or zip code. CLLARO stands for a better Colorado, something that requires the support and growth of Latino leadership across all institutions. Mario commented on the “unfortunate extreme polarization in our politics” that we are seeing today and how that is directly impacting the Latino community, especially immigrants. He stated that “the rise of hate crimes against Latinos have pushed the rates of race-based hate crimes to all-time highs in 2019 and 2020”.

So how can we fix this? Mario provides us with a few key ideas to uplift the voices of our Latino community members – something that will benefit all. We need to start by accepting “that diverse representation is not only right, but it is smart”, says Mario. CLLARO understands that education is key to economic mobility and is actively working towards convening educational institutions to accelerate Latino leadership through school boards, faculty representation, and student enrollment. They are working to help Colorado’s state institutions recognize ways in which we can diversify and engage more Latinos in leadership positions.

Through organizations like CLLARO, we all can take ownership of solving the economic and cultural challenges Latinos/as are facing in the United States. “The future of CLLARO is bright, and we are looking to our history and our beginnings to guide us”.