Monday, March 22, 2010

The Latino Advantage

When I reviewed books for La Palma, of the Palm Beach Post, my editor sent me the book Help your Children Succeed in School, Special Guide for Latino Parents. The author, Mariela Dabbah, very graciously let me interview her and not only that, we met in person, became friends and even collaborated professionally. I helped her translate two of her subsequent titles, The Latino Advantage in the Workplace, coauthored with Arturo Poiré and Help your Children Succeed in High School and Go to College. Mariela is a dynamo and a born networker, always trying to connect likeminded people and professionals who can work together.
Mariela Dabbah arrived in NY city from her native country, Argentina, twenty years ago, with nothing but two suitcases. She worked for an education-based company for two years and when she realized it was going to file for bankruptcy, her husband and her bought it and turned it around. A few years later she decided to divorce and focus on what she loved most: writing, speaking, consulting and working in the media. She is successful in touching people´s lives and spreading much-needed information in the Latino community. Mariela has appeared in TV shows such as "Good Morning America" (ABC) "Today in New York" (NBC), "Despierta América" (Univision), "Al Punto con Jorge Ramos" (Univision) "Noticiero Univision con Jorge Ramos y Maria Elena Salinas"" (Univision), "Directo desde Estados Unidos" (CNN) and many other TV programs and radio shows.
“I believe that my success resides in having been able to create a new life for myself where my talent, passion and abilities are aligned and I get to do what I love the most,” says Mariela, who also has the virtue of perseverance.
“I also have other traits such as creativity, the ability to accept feedback from people who are experts or who know more than I do in a specific area, empathy, and the ability to always have a win-win approach in everything I do.”
She says she learns from everyone she comes into contact with. When she is in a slump, she does not isolate.
“I get on the phone and call everybody to hear their opinion on what’s happening to me and to seek advice and what I should do to overcome whatever I’m confronted with. Then, I put all those smart words, caring thoughts and feelings into my internal blender and I make a decision that feels right. Me being down, never really lasts that long.”
Mariela believes that action is the best antidote to feeling stuck.
“Because guess what, if you are able to “do” something, you are really not stuck, right?”

To know more about Mariela Dabbah, her books and work, go to:

http://www.marielablog.com/

http://www.marieladabbah.com/

http://www.latinosincollege.com/


http://www.lorrainecladish.com/

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