Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to reflect on the values that heritage instills upon us. One thing I constantly heard growing up in a Los Angeles Latino household was: “Échale ganas, m’hija,” a phrase I believe engenders how we are as a people —Unstoppable.
“Echale ganas” (e-tʃa-le-ɣa-nas) is a simple saying with a lot of weight; it demands that you put yourself fully into what you are doing. To put “ganas” into something is to put your willingness into it and get it done. Many of our Latinx clients, those who have used the services of JVS SoCal, have shown precisely that same determination this phrase implies.
While JVS SoCal provides job training and career development services to all individuals in Southern California who qualify for our programs, data from 2020 tells us that 43% of our clients identify as Latino/Hispanic. We are proud to celebrate the rich heritage and values of community members HealthWorks graduate Sharon Rodriguez who says: “Never give up. And if you fall, get up! …at the end, it’s going to be worth it.”
Sharon graduated from JVSWorks in 2019 and currently works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
This is the first post in a series of testimonials by JVS SoCal employees, supporters and volunteers who share Latino/Hispanic roots.