Zephyrhills woman works to educate increasing Latino voter population

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By Lizbeth Gutierrez TAMPA

PUBLISHED 6:18 PM ET DEC. 14, 2023

The number of Hispanic Americans participating in politics has nearly doubled over the past two decades for both state and local positions, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Rosie Paulsen is in favor of growing that trend, and is working to education Latinos about public policy. She doesn’t shy away from a conversation. She’s the first one to greet you and make sure you’re seen.

“My superpower is making people feel amazing and that superpower, I use it when I greet people into the chamber,” she said.

The Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is a place that opened the doors for Paulsen to expand her business goals as a Medicare insurance broker.

Being active in the chamber has allowed her to meet new people. It’s also helped her adjust to her new home in Zephyrhills after immigrating to the U.S. from Ecuador several years ago.

It was a big change for her.

“You are culturally shocked, you have to learn a new language. You have to learn a new way of doing things. You might have children and you have to help them be successful,” she said.

Paulsen says it took her time to immerse herself in a new culture and learn about U.S. laws and government. But it’s an effort she believes is important, especially Latinos who want their voice to be heard on the issues.

That’s why she dedicates her time to educating others in the Latinos community about the importance of voting and knowing how lawmakers represent their constituents.

“They work for us, and how do we choose them for the job? With our votes,” Paulsen said.

She says her sessions are meant to serve as empowerment for the Hispanic Community.

“Something that brings us together is our heritage and, now we can talk about those problems that affect us as women, because some other communities may not have the same issues that we face,” Paulsen said.

Some of those issues include the language barrier, being afraid to reach out to local leaders,?or simply not knowing where to turn.

Research shows the number of eligible Hispanic voters increased from 7.4% in 2000 to 14.4% in 2022.

For Paulsen, voting has become a tradition, a way to stay informed on important issues and a path to make changes.

It’s why she encourages others to do the same.

“You have to select what is the group that make sense for you, and for me it has always been Zephyrhills, I live here, I’m part of the community here, I serve for public policy here, because this is where I want to make a difference,” she said.

Paulsen says public policy opened her eyes to what she can achieve in the country she now calls home. Now, she’s hoping to pass that knowledge along so other Hispanic Americans can also build a brighter future for themselves.