El Regreso 2023

Alicia Guevara ‘94CC, ‘14BUS

2023 Trailblazer Award Recipient

Alicia Guevara is Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. She is the first woman to serve as CEO in the organization. Ms.Guevara is one of the LAACU (Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University) Founders, started the LAACU Columbia College Scholarship, was past President of LAACU, is on the Board of Visitors for Columbia College, and is on the CAA (Columbia Alumni Association) Board.

 

Ms. Guevara is an accomplished and proven leader in the nonprofit sector. She has 30 years of experience leading nonprofit organizations, developing talent, influencing public policy, designing business strategies, and generating revenue through fundraising and earned income opportunities.

 

A leader in fundraising, Ms. Guevara has raised millions of dollars over the course of her career for organizations like The Osborne Association, Abyssinian Development Corporation, Peace First, Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Part of the Solution. She brings deep experience in government funding as well as institutional and individual giving. Her demonstrated expertise in the areas of fundraising and philanthropy as well as her commitment to equity continue to shape her compassionate leadership as CEO at Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC.

 

Ms. Guevara has rooted her life’s work in pursuit of social justice issues of access and inclusion for young people. Ms. Guevara is a graduate of Columbia College and also earned an executive education certificate for senior leaders in nonprofit management from Columbia Business School. She prides herself on being a native New Yorker who has mentored
numerous young people through multiple channels.

 

Dr. Jorge Moreno ‘06CC

2023 Emerging Trailblazer Award Recipient

 

Dr. Jorge O. Moreno is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine where he works as an internist and obesity medicine specialist. Dr. Moreno is originally from Mexico and was the first college graduate and doctor in his family. He graduated with a BA from Columbia College in 2006 and received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2011. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Yale Primary Care Program in 2014. Initially, he worked in an internal medicine
community practice in Connecticut, and in 2018, returned to Yale as faculty in the clinician-educator track. He developed an interest for caring for patients with obesity and started a subspecialty obesity medicine clinic as part of his internal medicine practice. At Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Moreno has focused on developing obesity medicine curricula for medical students, physician associate students and medical residents. Recently, Dr. Moreno was a featured obesity medicine expert in an Emmy-winning special by Telemundo/Yale Center for Clinical Investigation—Cirugía Que Tranforma Vidas.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced his clinical practice, he cared for patients with COVID-19 on the inpatient COVID units and in the outpatient setting throughout the pandemic in Connecticut. He quickly recognized not only the lack of information in Spanish about COVID-19 and the vaccines available, but also the vaccine hesitancy that existed in the Hispanic community. His focus turned to educating this community about COVID-19 in English and Spanish. Teaming with the Yale New Haven Health System, he participated in informational videos about the COVID-19 vaccine in Spanish. His outreach work with the Hispanic community led to collaborations with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and garnered media attention from local and national outlets. Dr. Moreno was selected as a 2023 National Hispanic Medical Association Leadership Fellow. He lives in
Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia Tanon-Santos (GSAS ’07), and his son, Benji.

 

FEATURED PERFORMERS

 

Sabor

Established in 2003, Sabor is Columbia University’s first Latin Dance Troupe.Sabor is built around two main branches of action. On campus, the troupe leads community-wide workshops, participates in staple Columbia traditions, and puts on an annual Fall Show. The team’s second focus is community action through the Rélevé Program, which is funded entirely by the Fall Show. This two-night program invites BIPOC and FGLI high school students from the greater New York community to take their place at Columbia by learning Latin dances and receiving mentorship from the dancers. Rélevé also offers opportunities to connect with Columbia Admissions and the Financial Aid Office for pre-college support. Above all, Sabor prides itself on providing space and building community around the expression of creativity and identity in relation to Latin and Caribbean cultures. 

Mariachi Leones

A new group on campus joining us at El Regreso for the first time!