Five Latinas Over 50 Making Strides

Carolina Herrera | Chispa MagazineBeing 50 and over doesn’t mean your life is over. There are many Latinas over 50 that continue to make a great impact on their communities and throughout the nation.

Carolina Herrera, 74
Venezuelan fashion-designer, Carolina Herrera, has definitely made a name for herself in the past decades. Herrera has dressed everyone from Jackie O to Michelle Obama. Her designs have been cited as “elegant and worldly without ever being fussy” by The New York Times. Herrera’s brand continues to be incredibly successful. In 2008, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 2012, she earned the 2014 Couture Council Award for Artistry for Fashion. Her impeccable personal style and couture fashions have enamored fashionistas from around the world for decades and will continue to do so for a very long time to come.

Rita Moreno, 82
Aside from being an Academy Award winning actress, Moreno continues to receive awards and honors for her talent. In 2009, Moreno received the National Medal of Arts presented by President Barack Obama and in 2010, she was awarded the HOLA Lifetime Achievement by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actresses. She has also recently released her book, Rita Moreno: A Memoir, and toured around the country with Sonia Sotomayor for her book signing.

Sonia Sotomayor, 59
Sonia Sotomayor is another Latina powerhouse over 50. Serving on the Supreme Court since 2009, she is the first Hispanic justice and third female justice. The Nuyorican graduated from Princeton University in 1976 and received her JD from Yale University in 1979. From there, she began a trailblazing career sitting on the Board of Directors for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. In May 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia to the Supreme Court. She was 55 years old. Who says your life ends at 50?

Cristina Saralegui, 65
In 2005, when Cristina Saralegui  was 57, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America. Television host and executive producer of The Cristina Show on Univision, Saralegui has gained the love of the Latino community throughout the nation. In January 2012, she launched The Cristina Channel, a 24/7 radio network for Sirius XM. Despite her busy career, Saralegui continues to work for her community through the organization that she co-founded with her husband. Through the Up with Life Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to AIDS awareness and education among Hispanics, Saralegui has touched many lives.

Maria Elena Salinas, 58
Having interviewed every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter, Maria Elena Salinas is a SENIORita inspiration. She holds many hats such as published author, radio analyst, and news anchor. Called by The New York Times, “the voice of Hispanic America,” Salinas has become a household staple and the go-to Latina for news reporting.  She has also earned several awards from the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI.)

Photo Courtesy Bal Harbour Shops

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Sara Maldonado

Sara Maldonado is the Marketing and Alumnae Relations Specialist for National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI). NHLI is the only national leadership development program in the United States focused on future Latina leaders. Through her work, Maldonado helps to ensure that Latinas are equally represented at the mid- and senior-levels of management in government or corporate sectors.