“Hello, I’m Anie de la Rosa Clark, and I became involved in Centro as a volunteer advisor, while pursuing my MBA with San Jose State University—this was a very unique opportunity that had a big impact on my perspective.

When I first heard of Centro Community Partners' Small Business Advisor Program for the Spanish-speaking community in San Jose, I was immediately attracted to contribute to its mission.

While I had a busy schedule with a full-time job, MBA classes and my personal consulting endeavors, I was eager to collaborate with Centro to empower Hispanic entrepreneurs to launch their businesses. I arranged my agenda to commit one evening every week to Centro for nine weeks. Little did I know that I was going to walk away with more than what I was giving.

I was inspired and moved by the passion, dedication, and grit of the entrepreneurs who were pursuing their goal to launch their own businesses with limited knowledge and resources. These entrepreneurs turned to Centro’s program for guidance and support. Many of them had full-time jobs while launching their businesses, or they had launched their businesses while learning the ropes of entrepreneurship on the go.

As a volunteer Small Business Advisor, I learned about the entrepreneurs’ ideas, strategies, and goals and had the opportunity to put into practice many of the business concepts and advising skills I had learned in my past experience and in the classroom.

I cannot stress enough the unique value of the hands-on approach that Centro offers. Centro is a one-of-a-kind opportunity not only for rising entrepreneurs but also for like-minded professionals who want to positively impact the community.”

Watch our featured entrepreneur’s videos to learn more about the impact of Centro’s Entrepreneurship Programs and how you can support them as a Small Business Advisor.

If you resonate with Anie’s testimony and would like to be part of our community as a volunteer Small Business Advisor, explore how you can get involved here, we offer programs in English and Spanish. We’re looking forward to meeting you!