Five locals hand-selected to represent Yuma County in a rural leadership program
13 On Your Side's Vanessa Gongora spoke with two of the participants who share why this is important to them
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona Center for Rural Leadership competitively chose 16 participants throughout the state to be part of their flagship program, Project CENTRL Class 32.
The purpose is to equip and empower local leaders to meet the needs of rural Arizona. Project CENTRL has trained over 700 leaders since 1983.
Those chosen from Yuma say they were up against many great leaders throughout the state and they are humbled and proud to have been selected.
Emilia Cortez, one of the five from Yuma is the only woman and is active within the community serving as Director of Yuma County Girl Scouts.
"I am all about women empowering, girl voice and pushing that women need to do more," said Cortez.
She said giving back makes her heart full and has a goal on her mind.
"Find my purpose. I love what I do but also I want to know how I can enhance what for other people in our community," Cortez continued.
Cortez and her family have been part of the agricultural workforce, so being able to learn more is important to her.
"I grew up in Los Angeles but I'm also a Yuma Native because we've had agriculture in my life. So I was a city girl during the school year and in the summers, we would come and harvest and do everything within our fields," explained Cortez. "We had cotton and then we have bigger agricultural family investment in Mexico so we would toggle back and forth to Yuma and Guadalajara. We were the workforce. We grew up there, waking up at 4 a.m. getting ready, doing anything I could to be that and I loved it."
She's excited to gain more education in an area that's important to Yuma.
"We get to go to Mexico and learn about how they conduct agricultural business over there," said Cortez.
Javier Medina, another participant from Yuma, works at Gowan Milling as the safety coordinator.
He said he is ready to tackle the challenges Yuma has been facing.
"Affordable housing, access to broadband, healthcare. Just trying to attract the right talent here to Yuma, Arizona," said Medina. "The teachers, the doctors, best in the nation and ensuring that they stay here, that we invest enough in the community where they want to stay here and raise their families here as well."
Medina is looking forward to working with the team.
"My plan is act like a bridge and help connect some of these people with some of the organizations that are already working in this community," Medina continued.
He said he's eager to learn more about Arizona and about the different obstacles each of the communities face.
Class 32 will be traveling throughout Arizona; Sonora, Mexico; Gettysburg, PA and Washington, D.C. to explore leadership lessons from all perspectives throughout the next 12 months.
They will participate in nine seminars that will help address and solve some of Yuma County's crucial issues and challenges.
The seminars will include: Effective Communication, Natural Resources and the Rural Economy, State Budget Basics: Healthcare, Education & Corrections, Agriculture in an International Border Community & Public Policy in Arizona.
