Drift

“You know there’s ups and downs, two steps forward, one step back. In the last 30 years, we’ve created great change, great opportunity. So that keeps me going.” Kevin Marinacci visited Nicaragua for the first time in 1996. Little did he know then that he would be getting involved with an organization that now defines his over 25-year career in service. On this episode of The American Dream, Kevin explains why he's stayed committed to the Fabretto Children's Foundation for so many years, the impact the foundation has had on thousands of children and their families, and he shares what's next for the foundation as it continues to pivot and innovate. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday. In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias on Twitter at @eliast and @DriftPodcasts and Kevin on LinkedIn.

Kevin Marinacci

President, Fabretto Children's Foundation

The President of Fabretto Children's Foundation explains why he's dedicated his career to helping improve the education of children in Central America.


How a Post Grad Missions Trip Turned Into a Life Dedicated to Service (With Fabretto Foundation's Kevin Marinacci)

How a Post Grad Missions Trip Turned Into a Life Dedicated to Service

Kevin Marinacci visited Nicaragua for the first time in 1996. Little did he know then that he would be getting involved with an organization that now defines his over 25-year career in service. 
On this episode of The American Dream, Kevin explains why he's stayed committed to the Fabretto Children's Foundation for so many years, the impact the foundation has had on thousands of children and their families, and he shares what's next for the foundation as it continues to pivot and innovate.


“If you have an idea, you see the friction point in the world, and if you have the time and drive, you can change it.”&nbsp; This motivation drives Sami Shalabi in his work at Outcomes4Me - an AI-driven patient empowerment platform that helps cancer patients take a proactive&nbsp;approach to their care, gaining access to personalized, evidence-based treatment options and information. Sami, an immigrant from Jordan, came to America and attended MIT to pursue a career in computer programming. After college, his deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit took over, and he ventured out to start his own company. In this episode of American Dream, Sami and Elias discuss their time together at IBM, share the key characteristics that define entrepreneurs, and Sami shares his big goals for Outcomes4Me. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday. In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias on Twitter at @eliast and @DriftPodcasts and Sami on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sshalabi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn.</a>&nbsp;

Sami Shalabi 

COO at Outcomes4Me

COO and Co-Founder of Outcomes4Me, Sami Shalabi, explains why he chose a career path of entrepreneurship and how he’s using his passion to drive change.


How A Passion for Technology is Bringing an Impact to Healthcare (With Sami Shalabi, Outcomes4Me)

How A Passion for Technology is Bringing an Impact to Healthcare 

“If you have an idea, you see the friction point in the world, and if you have the time and drive, you can change it.” This motivation drives Sami Shalabi in his work at Outcomes4Me - an AI-driven patient empowerment platform that helps cancer patients take a proactive approach to their care, gaining access to personalized, evidence-based treatment options and information. Sami, an immigrant from Jordan, came to America and attended MIT to pursue a career in computer programming. After college, his deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit took over, and he ventured out to start his own company. In this episode of American Dream, Sami and Elias discuss their time together at IBM, share the key characteristics that define entrepreneurs, and Sami shares his big goals for Outcomes4Me.


“Just by the virtue of surrounding yourself with success, you become success. Just by the virtue of osmosis.” That's the logic Edrizio De La Cruz has lived with since he forced himself into the Wall Street world some 17 years ago. After trying out a few different jobs to support his family, Edrizio made a pivot into the foreign world of finance. Thanks to communities like SEO and UBS, Edrizio made a name for himself, but not before being ridiculed for his accent, people assuming he was the wait staff in country clubs, and getting his confidence knocked multiple times. In this episode of the American Dream podcast, Edrizio shares why he didn't let any of those obstacles stop him from achieving his own version of the American Dream and why now, he's so determined to help others achieve their own, too. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday.&nbsp;In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias and Edrizio on Twitter at @eliast, @EdrizioCruz, and @DriftPodcasts.

Edrizio De La Cruz

Visiting Group Partner, Y Combinator

Former investment bank analyst, founder, and MBA graduate, Edrizio De La Cruz, shares his experience living as a colored person within white men's spaces.


What It's Really Like to Be a Colored Person in a White Man's Space (With Y Combinator's Edrizio De La Cruz)

What It's Really Like to Be a Colored Person in a White Man's Space

“Just by the virtue of surrounding yourself with success, you become success. Just by the virtue of osmosis.”
That's the logic Edrizio De La Cruz has lived with since he forced himself into the Wall Street world some 17 years ago.
After trying out a few different jobs to support his family, Edrizio made a pivot into the foreign world of finance. Thanks to communities like SEO and UBS, Edrizio made a name for himself, but not before being ridiculed for his accent, people assuming he was the wait staff in country clubs, and getting his confidence knocked multiple times.
In this episode of the American Dream podcast, Edrizio shares why he didn't let any of those obstacles stop him from achieving his own version of the American Dream and why now, he's so determined to help others achieve their own, too. 


“Have resilience, keep doing it, keep trying, no te rindas, and don’t give up” That's the motto Beatris Gandica, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, takes with her students at Nuevo Foundation - an organization founded to help get more underrepresented individuals introduced to tech earlier. With activities like coding workshops, virtual sessions, and speaker series, Beatris and the Nuevo Foundation show children that careers in tech can take many forms and are more accessible than they may think. In this episode of the American Dream, Beatris shares how she herself got interested in the field of technology, why her experience led her to found the Nuevo Foundation, and why the foundation believes so strongly in hands-on learning. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday.&nbsp;In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias and Beatris on Twitter at @eliast, @beagandica, and @DriftPodcasts.

Beatris Gandica 

Senior Program Manager at Microsoft 

Beatris Gandica, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, explains why she believes people should get introduced to tech careers as early as possible.


How Do We Give Everyone a Chance to Find a Career in Tech? (With Microsoft's Beatris Gandica)

How Do We Give Everyone a Chance to Find a Career in Tech?

“Have resilience, keep doing it, keep trying, no te rindas, and don’t give up”

That's the motto Beatris Gandica, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, takes with her students at Nuevo Foundation - an organization founded to help get more underrepresented individuals introduced to tech earlier. With activities like coding workshops, virtual sessions, and speaker series, Beatris and the Nuevo Foundation show children that careers in tech can take many forms and are more accessible than they may think.


“You need individuals on the other side who are open to telling their story to have little Ashley who didn't expect to be in the venture capital space to be like, “Wow, I want to be this Latina one day, to become a successful investor and who does a lot for the community.”&nbsp; Ashley Aydin didn’t know the world of venture capital existed until she attended Brown University as a first-generation college student. Then, after entering the workforce, she realized why: People who looked like her and her family were often overlooked within the VC/startup space. Now, Ashley’s on a mission to bring more diversity to the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship through her work at VamosVentures.&nbsp; In this American Dream episode, Ashley, who is now an investor at VamosVentures – a venture capital fund that invests in diverse groups and founders – explains why she believes so strongly in the VamosVentures’ mission to foster a more diverse community that leads to bigger social impact through wealth creation, social mobility, and unique tech solutions. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday. In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias and Ashley on Twitter at @eliast, @ashaydin, and @DriftPodcasts.

Ashley Aydin

Principal at VamosVenture

Ashley Aydin (investor, VamosVentures) explains why she’s committed to building a pipeline of founders from different cultural backgrounds and experiences.


How to Champion Diversity in Venture Capital Firms (With Ashley Aydin, VamosVentures)

How to Champion Diversity in Venture Capital Firms

Ashley Aydin didn’t know the world of venture capital existed until she attended Brown University as a first-generation college student. Then, after entering the workforce, she realized why: People who looked like her and her family were often overlooked within the VC/startup space. Now, Ashley’s on a mission to bring more diversity to the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship through her work at VamosVentures.


"When you've just hit that rock bottom or whatever, you just figure it out. And you find something that you love, and you find something that you enjoy, and you know you gotta get it done. And you just get it done." That's how Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product Management at Google, defines "perseverance with a passion." It's how she came to hold senior positions at tech companies like Microsoft, Skype, and Google. In this American Dream episode, Lilian tells Elias what she learned by growing up independent, how she bounced back from failure, and the two bond over shared childhood and career experiences. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday. In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias and Lilian on Twitter at @eliast, @lilianr, and @DriftPodcasts.

Lilian Rincon

Senior Director of Product Management, Google 

Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product Management at Google, shares why grit is the quality that earned her senior positions at top tech companies.


Discover Your Passion and Dig for the Grit to Experience It (With Google's Lilian Rincon)

Discover Your Passion and Dig for the Grit to Experience It

"When you've just hit that rock bottom or whatever, you just figure it out. And you find something that you love, and you find something that you enjoy, and you know you gotta get it done. And you just get it done." That's how Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product Management at Google, defines "perseverance with a passion." It's how she came to hold senior positions at tech companies like Microsoft, Skype, and Google.


Celina Miranda, the Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force, is no stranger to being the only Latina in a room of white people. Feeling the sense of "otherness" firsthand, and witnessing the Latin heritage get lost as Latinos attempt to assimilate into white culture, Celina and her team at Hyde Square Task Force are on a mission to help all Latinos feel like they can bring their whole selves to every room.&nbsp; In her conversation with Elias, Celina shares the three key components constituting Hyde Square Task Force, why she believes wholeheartedly in the power of collective action, and what Thanksgiving looks like in her Afro-Latin household. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get new episodes when they drop every other Tuesday. In the meantime, be sure to leave a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends. You can connect with Elias on Twitter at @eliast and @DriftPodcasts and Celina on LinkedIn.

Celina Miranda

Executive Director, Hyde Square Task Force

The Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force, Celina Miranda, explains why it's so important to preserve Latin Heritage in the Greater Boston area.


How Can We Feel at Home No Matter Where We're From or Where We Live? (With Hyde Square Task Force's Celina Miranda)

How Can We Feel at Home No Matter Where We're From or Where We Live?

Celina Miranda, the Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force, is no stranger to being the only Latina in a room of white people. Feeling the sense of "otherness" firsthand, and witnessing the Latin heritage get lost as Latinos attempt to assimilate into white culture, Celina and her team at Hyde Square Task Force are on a mission to help all Latinos feel like they can bring their whole selves to every room. 


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Did you know that only 1% of startups that have achieved unicorn status are led by Latin American founders? Drift's co-founder and CTO, Elias Torres, is on a mission to change that. Every other Tuesday, he has honest, inspiring, and authentic conversations with underrepresented leaders in tech. Hear from people who have achieved their own version of the American Dream, as well as those who are creating a more equitable future for the next generation.

How a Post Grad Missions Trip Turned Into a Life Dedicated to Service (With Fabretto Foundation's Kevin Marinacci)

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Today's Host

Elias Torres

Today's Guests

Kevin Marinacci

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