By Sofia Esquibies

June 2021

I’m clearly a living example that you don’t have to be born in a Spanish speaking country to embrace its culture, love its customs, speak the language and appreciate what being Spanish/Hispanic means. I met my husband on a park bench in Madrid in 1973 and later imported him as the original 90-day fiancé. My love for Spanish culture, literature, food, dance and language is alive and well. I studied Spanish in college and graduate school and lived in Spain. While I identify as Hungarian, my soul is definitely Spanish.

About 8 years ago my husband and son were invited to a dinner dance hosted by HACC at the Farmington Club. They are Medicare Advantage brokers and did a lot of work with the Hispanic community. It was through their outreach that they were invited. We went and had a fabulous time, and we kept going every year for the next few. One day my husband was asked to start participating in the running of the organization. I jumped on board with him and became involved.

Working with the dedicated board of this organization has been a breath of fresh air. The executive board of HACC is composed of people of many professional backgrounds whose passion to showcase their culture and serve as role models for Hispanic youth is inspiring.

While I love being on the social committee, my passion for the last few years has been the Education Committee of which I am president. As a former high school teacher for 11 years, I am fully aware of the challenges that young people face getting into college and paying for it. I also know that some youth are marginalized because going to college may be new to their family dynamics. Running the scholarship program with my colleague Maureen Matamoros has been an extremely gratifying experience. We have modernized the process, revamped the application and developed a rubric driven system of grading that rewards the values HACC stands for. All our recipients are stellar students with a demonstrated need who see their heritage as an asset.

The best part about HACC is the friends I’ve made. I feel totally bonded to the women on the executive board who, like me, are strong female role models. I admire the whole board and the members who support us because they see the value in keeping their rich cultures alive. I may not be Spanish, but this organization has adopted me and made me feel like I belong, and for that I am grateful.

Barbara Ferrer and her husband, Rodrigo Ferre