Esperanza. Futuro. Alegría. These are all words that we give our children, that our mothers gave to us, sprinkled like salt through a lifetime of moments and conversations. Whether we repeat them in the language of our mamás and our abuelitas or in the language that we hear all around us, the message is the same. We hope for the future happiness of our children. I thought of these words a few nights ago at my kitchen table, as I began a letter to give to my oldest daughter for her Confirmation. I thought about the opportunities we have now that didn’t exist when my mother was writing her letter to me. There are Hispanic leaders in the military, government, education, medicine, business, law – the list goes on and on. We live in unprecedented times. Today, more than one out of every two people added to the U.S. population are of Hispanic origin(U.S. Census Bureau, for July 1, 2008 – July 1, 2009), Hispanics make up 22 percent of all children under the age of 18(U.S. Census Bureau 2009), and it is projected that one out of every six persons in the U.S. will be of Hispanic origin by the year 2014(Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, the University of Georgia). Contrast those findings against these statistics: In 2008, the Hispanic high school dropout rate was 18.3 percent – more than twice the 8 percent total dropout rate for the entire U.S. population in the same age group ( U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2010)). Between 1971 and 2009, the gap in bachelor’s degree attainment between Whites and Hispanics increased from 14 to 25 percentage points ( U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2010)). In 2009, the median personal earnings for Hispanic persons in the U.S. was $20,000 per year – nearly 30 percent lower than the $28,900 median income for the U.S. population (Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of 2009 American Community Survey, Table 32. Median Personal Earnings, by Race and Ethnicity: 2009) In my role leading the Supplier Diversity efforts at Walmart, I deal with numbers every day, but numbers like these spark the questions that keep me up at night. Are our young people finding role models? Are we capturing our young people early, and championing opportunities that allow them to see a successful future in any profession and leadership level. What can we do to build a lasting talent pipeline for our future Latino leaders? These same questions led us at Walmart to start the Mi Futuro student mentorship program. The Hispanic Latino Associate Resource Group (HLARG), based at our Home Office, launched the program in 2009. Our mission – to motivate 8th grade Latino students to begin planning for a future of accomplishment; to convince students that regardless of their background, this future is possible through education and hard work; and to engage a wide base of Walmart associates in investing in tomorrow’s leaders through mentorship. Since 2009, 75 students have participated in the Mi Futuro program, and this May we will see more than 50 students graduate from the program. We have seen tremendous results, and the stories that these students report back to us give us hope for their continued success. One student told his mentor that he was going to be an architect, just like his mentor who is an architect at Walmart. Another told her mentor, “My mom said that college isn’t for me. Now I want to go, I know that I can go to college and have a better life.� As I sat at my kitchen table, I thought about my hope for my daughter. I hope that she will always put her faith and family first, find a career that she loves, and know every aspect of her life has beauty and meaning. I want her to understand the importance of community and of giving back. I want her to know that she can dream big dreams and achieve them, as long as she is willing to set goals and work hard. And I want her to see Latina leaders rallying around her showing the way. I added another word in Spanish to my daughter’s letter – posible. A 25-year veteran of Walmart, Theresa Barrera began her career as a part-time cashier at a Sam’s Club in Corpus Christi, Texas. In her current role as vice president of Supplier Diversity within Walmart, Barrera is responsible for integrating supplier diversity programs into company procurement practices, and advocating for minority-and women-owned businesses. She was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine in 2003 and in 2005 as one of the “80 Elite Hispanic Women,� and is raising two Latinas, Alli, 16, and Olivia, 13.