Veronica Cool, Founder & CEO – Cool & Associates, LLC - Testimony - Workforce Development and Adult Learning

As a native of the Dominican Republic who emigrated to the United States as a child with my family, I truly appreciate that Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity to recognize and appreciate what Hispanics have been able to accomplish in the U.S. As that young child arriving in New York Harbor on July 4 – yes, really! – I was awed and inspired by the massive fireworks display, believing with all my heart that it was meant for me and was welcoming me to my new life in the U.S.! That incredible feeling has stayed with me through all of my experiences here.

My journey took some turns, but I was committed to leveraging my education and making my parents and community proud, even living the American Dream and eventually starting my own business after many years in corporate banking. It was those many years in banking, in fact, that laid the foundation for my future entrepreneurship.

In the business world, I often represented my employers in various meetings and events that involved the Latino community. At times I felt as if I were the “token Latina,” but it was really a tremendous opportunity to become involved, see the needs and struggles of other Latinos first-hand, and to bring that back into the corporate environment to educate the mainstream business world regarding the work ethic, eagerness, and loyalty of the Latino workforce as employees and also as consumers. Over time, my insights and advice were requested often enough and from a number of sources outside of banking that it became obvious that it was time to start my own company, thus Cool & Associates, LLC was born.

Bridging the gaps between the mainstream business world and the Latino community is my ultimate goal as a Latina businesswoman. Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to further spread the word. That welcoming feeling I experienced with the New York fireworks on my very first 4th of July in the U.S. is the exact feeling that I want Latinos to feel when seeing products and services offered to them from the mainstream.