THE POWER of PRESENCE

THE POWER of PRESENCE

Sep 28, 2026 | Culture & Influence Online, Culture and Influence

Message from Richard Sandoval

As we prepared this October edition of HL | Culture & Influence, I was struck by the common thread running through the stories we are sharing.

Nina Vaca. Daniela Mounger. Dolores Arredondo. Michelle Juarez-Perry. Valeria Esparza-Chavez. Five accomplished women. Five different journeys. Yet each story speaks in its own way to leadership, opportunity, family, community and the responsibility that comes with influence.

For more than 30 years, our work has been about discovering the people behind the titles and accomplishments. We want to understand what shaped them, what continues to drive them and, increasingly, what’s next.

That is especially evident in this edition.

These aren’t simply profiles of successful women. They are conversations about building businesses, creating opportunities for others, strengthening families, opening doors, building wealth and leaving something meaningful behind.

They also represent the kind of storytelling we want HL | Culture & Influence to be known for.

We remain Independent by Design. Precise by Approach. Connected by Trust. That independence gives us the freedom to follow interesting people, conversations and ideas wherever we find them — and to share those stories with a community we have been privileged to serve for more than three decades.

We invite you to settle in and enjoy the stories.

Richard Sandoval
Publisher
HL | Culture & Influence – HL | Media Network

About the Cover 

Sometimes a cover is planned. Sometimes you simply encounter something that makes you stop and take a closer look.

That was the case with the October cover of HL | Culture & Influence.

During our recent travels, we came across a striking work of art that immediately caught our attention. The piece is Vigil (Violet) by artist Dolan Geiman, a limited-edition print on wood of his original paper collage.

Its color, texture and presence made an impression. We photographed the piece, not knowing at the time that the image would eventually find its way onto the cover of this edition.

That sense of discovery is very much a part of what we do. Whether it is a conversation, a person, a place or an unexpected encounter with a work of art, we remain curious about the people and experiences we find along the way.

For this edition, one of those discoveries became our cover.

Cover artwork: Vigil (Violet) by Dolan Geiman
Limited-edition print on wood of the artist’s original paper collage
Photography: Richard Sandoval | HL Media Network

FEATURED ARTICLES

BUSINESS

TRAVEL

COMMUNITY

HOMEOWNERSHIP

HERITAGE

MONEY

More Stories

Valeria Esparza-Chavez | Remembering the Sacrifices That Created Opportunity

Valeria Esparza-Chavez | Remembering the Sacrifices That Created Opportunity

Sep 16, 2026 | Culture and Influence, Women and Leadership

HL INSIGHTS

Valeria Esparza-Chavez | Remembering the Sacrifices That Created Opportunity

A Hispanic Heritage Month Story

Photos and article by
Richard Sandoval

or Valeria Esparza-Chavez, Hispanic Heritage Month is personal.

As Vice President and Customer Growth Segments Lead at Wells Fargo, Esparza-Chavez spends much of her professional life focused on expanding economic opportunities for Latino families through homeownership, entrepreneurship, investing and financial education.

But when HL Media Network asked her to share her thoughts about Hispanic Heritage Month, her answer began somewhere much closer to home.

“This month is very personal for me,” Esparza-Chavez said. “As a daughter of immigrants, a first-generation American, first in my family to ever go to college, this is a month about remembering all of the sacrifices that our parents, that our grandparents did for us.”

Watch our conversation with Valeria Esparza-Chavez as she shares what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her. 

Remembering the Sacrifices

For Esparza-Chavez, those sacrifices can be measured in opportunities.

She remembers becoming the first person in her family to work in a corporate environment and the first to have access to benefits that can easily be taken for granted once they become part of everyday life.

“I am filled with gratitude for the opportunities that my parents gave me,” she said.

Today, she sees another generation moving forward.

Esparza-Chavez spoke about watching her own children, nieces and nephews pursue their education and consider opportunities including college and medical school that reflect how much has changed within one family.

It is a perspective that transforms Hispanic Heritage Month from simply looking back at where we came from into considering what comes next.

Creating Opportunity for the Next Generation

That idea also carries into Esparza-Chavez’s professional work.

During our conversation at NAHREP at AVANCE Global in Las Vegas, she spoke about the growing economic influence of the U.S. Latino community and the importance of creating greater access to homeownership, entrepreneurship, financial education and investing.

“We know that Latinos are driving the American economy,” she said.

For Esparza-Chavez, however, the larger economic conversation ultimately comes back to people, families and opportunity.

“As we reflect on our family members, on our parents and grandparents during this Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s think about what we can do for future generations,” she said.

Her message is rooted in gratitude, but it also carries a sense of responsibility.

Previous generations made sacrifices to create opportunities they might never have experienced themselves. The opportunity now is to build upon what they started and consider what we can make possible for those who follow.

Hispanic Wealth Project

Valeria was featured on the platform HispanicWealthProject.org read her story Valeria’s Journey: From El Paso to the C-SuiteFrom First-Gen Dreamer to Seven-Figure Investor: How Valeria Esparza-Chavez Turns Homeownership into Legacy @  https://hispanicwealthproject.org/hispanic-wealth-profiles/valeria-esparza-chavez-homeownership

This conversation was recorded by HL Media Network during NAHREP at AVANCE Global, held September 14–16, 2026, in Las Vegas

EDITOR NOTES 

During NAHREP at AVANCE Global in Las Vegas, HL Media Network had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues and meet new voices along the way. As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked several of them to share what this time means to them personally. Valeria Esparza-Chavez begins a series of conversations reflecting on family, sacrifice, opportunity and the experiences that continue to shape our community.