Cardina Esparza credits her great-grandmother Anatanasia
Hernandez Diaz Ortiz with her enthusiasm for giving back to the community. Diaz
and a group of women sold handmade tortillas and enchiladas to raise money for
the first permanent location of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, a pillar of St.
Paul’s Latino neighborhood. “She taught me the importance of building programs
and places that are important to the community,” says Esparza.
Esparza focuses on community in both her personal and professional life. She works as an advisor for the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound program, where she prepares potential first-generation college students from low- and moderate-income families for a higher education. Esparza also serves on the board of La Escuelita, a Minneapolis academic achievement initiative for Latino youth, and as a mentor for the Page Education Foundation scholars program.
Though both of her parents are Latino, Esparza did not grow up bilingual. She made the effort to become fluent in Spanish as a way to connect with her community.
“I went through this whole process in my education and my participation in communities on both sides of the river to reclaim that piece of my identity,” Esparza says. “That’s really important to me.”
When she’s not working or volunteering, Esparza enjoys spending time at the lakes, going to spoken word arts events, and viewing international films at the Walker Art Center.
