How Latinas Think Big is Evolving

The name Latinas Think Big came to life when, Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin attended an event named “Harvard Thinks Big” at Harvard University. It’s a campus event that brings together some of Harvard’s most renowned faculty members to speak to the school’s undergraduate community. Each Professor speaks for ten minutes about something they are very passionate about. The objective of this event was to expose undergraduates to a wide range of “big ideas”. Dr. Perez-Litwin knew this idea of mentoring was brilliant and she needed to find a way to bring this same idea to a community that lacked representation.

Dr. Perez-Litwin started a blog that had grown an impressive following of women who were seeking mentor-ship and guidance.  These women wanted to connect with her in person to share their stories of ambition and often times their struggle of being the only Latina in a department or even an entire Institution. This is what ultimately propelled Latinas Think Big to come to fruition because Dr. Perez-Litwin knew what these women were going through. She also had gone through similar struggles throughout her career and she wanted to do something about

Latinas Think Big has grown into a prosperous Society of women from around the globe. Through the new innovative website you can subscribe to become a member to receive monthly mentoring and advice that is designed to accelerate your career and business ventures. It also offers different opportunities, internships, scholarships and grants that are available through the network.

Last year Latinas Think Big had it’s first Innovation Summit in NYC at the New York Institute of Technology and it gathered innovators from across the country to tell their stories. I was so thrilled to be in the room with so many inspirational women. It was definitely an empowering experience and I knew from that moment on that I wanted to immerse myself in this community.

The group has now  grown into a community of over 13,700 facebook members and it continues to grow. Recently I attended the Latinas Think Big Exchange in the beautiful, New York Life building in NYC. The event sparked so much interest that it sold out twice.

During this exchange, the room was filled with career-driven and entrepreneurial Latinas. The conversation was led by Tanya Menendez, Co-Founder and CMO of Maker’s Row. Maker’s Row, is tech startup that is connecting U.S. manufacturers to small businesses. The second guest speaker was Dr. Diana Hernandez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

• Read up on books (What is the Lead Start up Model)
• Follow good blogs that provide great content!
• She follows: Gotham Gal, AVC, Medium.com

Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin stated, ” We as Latinas, tend to wait till things are perfect to start something. Start small and put yourself out there and get feedback from different people”

Speaker 2: Dr.Diana Hernandez discussed Gentrification and how she intends to use market driven solutions to address social problems within her community in the Bronx.

• Get involved in our communities (ex. by sitting on a board, attending town hall meetings, etc.)
• Set Goals  (One of her goals was to get capitol and gain connections)
• Be conscious on your consumption, because we don’t realize what that means for the protection of our wealth.
• Good book to read-  (The Millionaire Next Door)

After the session was over we relocated to a more intimate location. We all felt we needed more time to network.

The spirited conversations continued, we exchanged business cards, discussed what our career goals were and how so many of us are trying to break through the barriers we face not only as women but women of color.

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For more information on more events and how you can become a member visit 

Latinas Think Big :   https://www.latinasthinkbig.com/

Thank you Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin for being such an amazing influencer and starting the movement Latinas Think Big! You are a true example of a Powerful Latina and you inspire us to see how great we can be when Latinas are United.