2025 Hispanic Heritage Month

From Heritage to Horizon: Investing in Latino Futures Through Education

By Brian MacColl, Volunteer Development Executive, Aprende y Prospera LatAm

This Fall, PBS will air the 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards. New episodes of Rosie's Rules and Alma's Way will light up living rooms across the country. And as parades, performances, and proclamations honor culture, one question rises above the celebration: What will the next generation of Latino achievement look like — and who is investing in it now?

A Call from This Year's Theme: The 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) theme: "Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future". If we genuinely want to honor Hispanic and Latinx heritage, why wouldn't we? We must invest in our young leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. At Aprende y Prospera, that's our daily mission — and we invite you to join us.

The Case for Education: Since its founding in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month has celebrated the vibrant cultures and contributions of Latinx communities in the U.S. Today, with over 63 million Latinos — nearly one in five Americans - our shared future is undeniably linked to Latino opportunity and access.

But opportunity is not evenly distributed. Across Latin America and among U.S. immigrant communities, far too many talented students lack access to professional training, digital education, and networks of support. The result? Dreams deferred - not for lack of talent, but for lack of tools.

A Global, Volunteer-Powered Solution: At Aprende y Prospera, we believe education is a heritage that should be shared, not gated. We are a 100% volunteer-run, virtual nonprofit offering free Spanish-language certificate programs in:

1. Project Management
2. Entrepreneurship
3. Digital Innovation
4. Leadership & Professional Development

Each program consists of 10 courses, and each student receives a full scholarship for tuition thanks to the generosity of volunteers and donors. However, we still need to cover a basic $150 program fee per student, supporting technology access, mentoring platforms, and student services for the 7-month experience. That's where you, the community, come in.

Sponsor a Future - Not Just a Moment: PBS spotlights legends like Omara Portuondo and Julia Alvarez. Their brilliance helped shape our cultural legacy. But the next Omara or Julia is out there now — and they need a laptop, a mentor, a chance. This Hispanic Heritage Month, don't just reflect. Act. Celebrate by sponsoring a student. Share our story. Volunteer your skills. Because honoring heritage means more than looking back. It means looking forward — and showing up.

Join Us: Visit aprendeyprospera.org to learn how to sponsor a student - $150 each, share your skills, or help us build a future where every Latino learner has a path to success.

Let's not just commemorate this Hispanic Heritage Month. Let's collaborate. Honor the past. Empower the future. That's our heritage, and our horizon (-: