Rosie Molinary’s passion is helping young Latinas discover themselves through education, mentorship and inspiration, NBC Latino reported. To that end, Molinary created the non-profit organization Circle de Luz in 2008. The organization sponsors girls through individual donors that help the girls afford college tuition and further their education.
Growing up Latina in Columbia, South Carolina, Molinary said she often felt like an outsider. In that sense, she identifies with the girls she wants to inspire.
“What we want to be is a catalyst for young Latina girls to realize that their futures can be of their choosing,” Molinary said. “And so what we provide is really intensive mentoring, holistic programming, and scholarship funds when the girls graduate after they’ve been in our program for six years.”
People who donate to her program also have the option of acting as mentors and may be as involved with the program as they want to be.
They are required to contribute at least $5,000 in scholarship money to afford the cost of college. Further, they are expected to donate $100 for every year they are involved with the program.
After college, Molinary continued to follow her passion by pursuing a career in secondary level teaching, focusing primarily on working with low-income and immigrant families. She later pursued a master’s degree in creative writing and wrote numerous poems and essays about the cultural and social issues that young Latinas face today.
During her Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Images, and Growing Up Latinas book tour, the problems that she had been writing about became even more clear after Molinary had the chance to speak with girls face-to-face.
“Those girls talked about their dreams. They wanted to become veterinarians and doctors and dance teachers and all these really awesome things,” she told NBC Latino News. “I felt a real responsibility about the disparity between dreams and numbers.”
(Photo by Circle de Luz via NBC Latino)
“What we want to be is a catalyst for young Latina girls to realize that their futures can be of their choosing,” Molinary said. “And so what we provide is really intensive mentoring, holistic programming, and scholarship funds when the girls graduate after they’ve been in our program for six years.”
People who donate to her program also have the option of acting as mentors and may be as involved with the program as they want to be.
They are required to contribute at least $5,000 in scholarship money to afford the cost of college. Further, they are expected to donate $100 for every year they are involved with the program.
After college, Molinary continued to follow her passion by pursuing a career in secondary level teaching, focusing primarily on working with low-income and immigrant families. She later pursued a master’s degree in creative writing and wrote numerous poems and essays about the cultural and social issues that young Latinas face today.
During her Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Images, and Growing Up Latinas book tour, the problems that she had been writing about became even more clear after Molinary had the chance to speak with girls face-to-face.
“Those girls talked about their dreams. They wanted to become veterinarians and doctors and dance teachers and all these really awesome things,” she told NBC Latino News. “I felt a real responsibility about the disparity between dreams and numbers.”
(Photo by Circle de Luz via NBC Latino)
