Alejandro Saucedo is a proud descendant of migrant field workers. As a child, his identity was shaped by his family’s perseverance and aspirations as they navigated seasonal farm labor. After receiving professional development opportunities as custodial workers, his grandparents and mother transitioned out of manual labor, taking their strong work ethic with them. As a teenager, Saucedo suffered from addiction and was incarcerated. He did not allow incarceration to restrict his dreams,...

Laquisha Jackson’s Entrepreneurial Journey in South Bend While most children her age were learning to paint or draw, Laquisha Jackson  found her creative passion in cooking. At just seven years old, she began helping her grandmother prepare family dinners — an experience that ignited a lifelong love for food. By the age of nine, her grandmother’s kitchen had become her personal playground. Over the next 19 years, Jackson built a career in the hospitality industry, working as a server, prep...