The Latino 10: A standout year

There are over 65 million Americans of Latino descent in the U.S. — and their immense diversity is as wide and representative as America itself. In a year of political polarization fueled by a presidential election, we’re marking Hispanic Heritage Month by focusing on 10 Americans who have received major recognition or seen their work and influence grow in 2024. While they do vastly different work, they all have one thing in common: Their Latino heritage proudly informs their expertise and their outlook — as well as their commitment to making things better.

Liza Colón-Zayas: TV’s unforgettable character (and now Emmy winner!)

When so many people are talking about a specific TV episode starring one particular character, you know the actor’s done something right. That actor is Liza Colón-Zayas, who has drawn critical acclaim and quickly become a fan-favorite for her role as Bettina “Tina” Marrero on the hit FX series “The Bear.” (Update: After publication, Colón-Zayas made history by becoming the first Latina to win an Emmy win for supporting actress in a comedy series.) Her performance also garnered a 2024 Imagen Award for best supporting actress in the television comedy category. The Bronx-born actor of Puerto Rican heritage — a proud “Nuyorican” — has worked for decades in TV and won awards for her work in the theater. But Colón-Zayas nabbed major attention this year when “The Bear” focused an episode on her sous-chef character’s heartbreaking and inspirational origin story, which also starred her real-life husband, David Zayas, as her other half in a loving, hardworking Latino couple. In a recent NBC News interview, Colón-Zayas gave some words of advice for those still working for their big break. “Be prepared. Show up on time. Know what you have to do. If it goes your way, it goes your way, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Be yourself. Don’t try to imitate anybody else.”

Luis A. Colón: A scientist and the ultimate mentor

There’s a reason why Luis A. Colón received the 2024 Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): More than one-third of faculty members hired in chemistry departments in recent years who come from underrepresented groups have a connection to Colón or a program inspired by him, a colleague told the AAAS. Originally from Puerto Rico and the first in his family to go to college, the University at Buffalo chemistry professor has spent decades recruiting and encouraging students from his native island and other places to pursue advanced science degrees, recommending them for jobs and fellowships and paying their way to conferences when financial resources were scarce. As a result, his students have gone on to jobs in research and academia, corporations and in the pharmaceutical industry. “If I was somehow able to contribute a little crystal of sand as they went along their way, I’m very happy about that,” he told NBC News. “I am actually proud that. Out of all my students, I still maintain some relationship or connection with at least 90% of them, even if it’s only a Christmas card or a phone call.”

Marcello Hernández: Late night’s Latino ‘son’

As “Saturday Night Live’s” first Gen Z cast member, Marcello Hernández has become a breakout star in his short time on the show, including his role as a young man trying to shield his date from his overly protective Latina mom — and tía. In July, Variety magazine named him as one of its 2024 Power of Young Hollywood honorees. The comedian, writer and actor of Cuban and Dominican descent was an instant hit on the show, going viral with his first on-air “Weekend Update” segment in which he discussed Latino baseball players, and he’s since been called the series’ “new secret weapon.”

When Hernández first moved to New York City, he started out as a “barker” in the East Village, trying to cajole passersby into buying tickets to comedy shows as he dreamed of doing stand-up. On NBC’s “TODAY” show, Hernández described his experience on “SNL” as “insane,” saying “every day you ... can’t believe you’re there.” Hernández draws upon his experiences as the son of immigrants for much of his stand-up, and he credits his mother for always supporting his dream. Growing up, he told the “TODAY” anchors, “me and my mom were always together.”

Kenny Luna: A fresh take on Latin pantry foods

Kenny Luna grew up hanging and working the shelves at his Dominican dad’s New York City supermarkets, also influenced by his Peruvian mom and his family’s visits to the Dominican Republic’s “campo,” or countryside, where his father came from. When both he and his college buddy Scott Hattis started young families of their own — Hattis’ wife is Dominican — they decided to combine their desire for healthier, fresher food products without artificial ingredients or fillers with Latin pantry staples used to make traditional Caribbean and Hispanic dishes. The result was Loisa, named for New York City’s iconic “Loisaida” (Lower East Side) neighborhood, with its rich Puerto Rican history. In 2017, they started selling online their organic, all-natural “adobo” and “sazón” seasonings, later pairing up with chef and educator Yadi Garcia to offer “sofrito” and “recaíto” cooking sauces used in Spanish Caribbean cooking. Their online fan base grew and they started expanding. “What I’m most proud of Loisa’s success,” Luna told NBC News, “is seeing the brand grow and be sold in larger retail stores,” including the Wegmans supermarket chain beginning in 2023 and also now nationwide this year at Whole Foods and Sprouts. “With young Latinos in the U.S.,” said Luna, “we’re seeing a lot of excitement with Loisa being in grocery store shelves.”

Ana Liz Pulido: The ‘Best Chef’ in Texas

The young Mexican American owner of a taquería in the small border town of Mission, Texas, Ana Liz Pulido took home the equivalent of a food “Oscar” when she won the James Beard Award for best chef in Texas. Since she opened Ana Liz Taqueria in 2021, she’s gotten rave reviews for her restaurant, where everything is made from scratch — even the organic corn masa for her tortillas. The native Texan’s business is a family affair, with her father grilling meat every day and her mother making flour tortillas. “My father, who had experience in the food industry, told me at first to do something else. ... He said it’s too hard, it’s too much work, too many hours,” Pulido told NBC News. “But eventually he came around and has been super supportive.” Until recently, her small establishment had only five tables, but after her award, her food was in such high demand that the restaurant had to briefly shut down all takeout service. Since then, Pulido has expanded her dining area and her kitchen, she told NBC News. Some fans are urging her to expand her business into other locations in Texas, but for now she is content with her place in Mission. “We want to keep working and improving here,” Pulido said, “and to make the best food for our customers.”

Dr. Diana E. Ramos: California’s trailblazing surgeon general

As the top doctor overseeing the health of the nation’s most populous state, California’s surgeon general is harnessing her decades of experience in public health — and as a practicing OB-GYN. “The week that I was sworn in was the week that I delivered my last baby,” she told NBC News. Now as surgeon general, Ramos is spearheading a $4 billion initiative to bolster youth mental health and strengthening reproductive health care access and maternal health. “I see myself as a bridge, a connector between all parties, and a voice that can share some of the experiences that people are living,” Ramos said. This year, she was recognized with the 2024 Latino Spirit Award from the California Latino Legislative Caucus for her achievement in public service and health. Only a little over 2% of U.S. doctors are Latina women, and Ramos is aware of what her achievements represent: Raised in a one-bedroom apartment in South Central Los Angeles, her Mexican mother sometimes worked three jobs so Ramos could pursue her education. “When I share that I was the first person in my family to go to college, I have students come up to me and some of them are crying — they say they can see themselves in me,” she said, “and that has been the best gift of this job.”

Cristina Rivera Garza: The Pulitzer Prize winner

Author Cristina Rivera Garza won one of literature’s most esteemed awards this year when she took home the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in memoir or autobiography for “Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice.” The true story of her sister, a young woman who was murdered by her former boyfriend in 1990, was so personal to Rivera Garza — a professor at the University of Houston and the head of its creative writing program in Hispanic studies — that she wrote both the Spanish and English versions herself, without a translator. Relying on everything from her sister’s letters to police files, the Mexican author and former MacArthur “genius” recipient crafted a “remarkable and genre-defying memoir,” according to the Pulitzer committee. “I knew that this story was intimate, personal, painful and absolutely fundamental for me and my family,” she told NBC News, “but I didn’t really know that it would have such a generous, warm embrace with readers.” Noting that violence against women is still widespread in both the U.S. and her native Mexico, Rivera Garza said, “I wanted to convey my sister’s, Liliana’s, perspective on the world with the kind of sensitivity and freedom that she was always so keen on defending.”

Arturo Sandoval: The jazz legend

One of the world’s greatest living jazz artists, trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval is set to become a 2024 Kennedy Center Honoree, the nation’s pre-eminent performing arts award, in December. “This is something I will keep close to my heart for the rest of my days,” Sandoval told NBC News. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient has such a remarkable story, it’s been made into a movie. At 12, Sandoval was studying classical trumpet, though “nobody in my family had anything to do with the arts — my dad was a car mechanic. They thought I was completely nuts.” As a young man, Sandoval was jailed in communist Cuba for listening to a Voice of America jazz program during mandatory military service. Sandoval’s life changed when his hero, jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, visited Cuba in 1977. It was while touring with Gillespie in 1989 that Sandoval defected to the U.S., and he credits the musical giant with helping secure his freedom. “I was a hopeless kid in Cuba, and then music changed me and my life completely. Music saved my life.” The former music professor still mentors young people. “It’s like passing art to the next generation,” he said.

Karl-Anthony Towns: NBA star and social justice champion

It may surprise some to know that Minnesota Timberwolves center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns, heading into his 10th season in the NBA, had different plans as a kid: “I always thought I’d be a baseball player for the Yankees, but that was the Dominican in me talking,” he told NBC News with a smile. At 7 feet tall, it’s no surprise his dad encouraged him to play basketball. But the NBA star has done so much more: Towns was honored as the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for the 2023-24 season, receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy. A staunch advocate for voting rights, he lobbied for a bipartisan law that helped restore the right to vote to tens of thousands of people in Minnesota who were formerly incarcerated or on parole. He’s also used his visibility to raise awareness about the dangers of Covid after losing eight family members, including his beloved mom, during the pandemic. Towns, a global ambassador for World Youth Clubs, told NBC News he’ll be announcing a substantial donation to GO Ministries, WYC’s partner in the Dominican Republic, to bring more services to youth there. He credits his dad’s African American and mom’s Dominican cultures with the “love and teachings” that shaped him. “To live the American dream you have to be willing to help others with it,” Towns said. “For me to be recognized for what I do off the court is something...all I ever wanted to do. And I think that would make my mother more proud than what I’ve done on the court.”

Andrea Vidaurre: Fighting for clean air

Andrea Vidaurre was one of just six people in the world selected for the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize, sometimes called the “Green Nobel Prize.” As the announcement explained, “Vidaurre’s grassroots leadership persuaded the California Air Resources Board to adopt, in the spring of 2023, two historic transportation regulations that significantly limit trucking and rail emissions,” including the first emissions rule for trains in the U.S. and a path to 100% zero emissions by 2036 for freight truck sales. Other states have also adopted California’s regulations, meaning that Vidaurre’s work has had a national impact. Vidaurre, who is Peruvian American, was born and raised in California’s Inland Empire, which is east of Los Angeles and has some of the country’s worst air quality. Yet Vidaurre has spoken of how different it was when she was growing up enjoying the mountain scenery. After speaking with many of her neighbors, in 2020 Vidaurre co-founded the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for clean air quality. “Many of us advocating for zero-emissions freight use the phrase, ‘We’re just trying to breathe,’” Vidaurre said in an interview with Earthjustice. “The power of this phrase is its simplicity. We’re asking for what all living things do, and that’s to breathe. It’s human nature, and all of us who live in this area deserve to breathe clean, healthy air.”

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com