TULSA, Okla. — We’re in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends on October 15, and FOX23 is spotlighting members of the local Hispanic community.
FOX23 spoke with Cynthia Jasso with the George Kaiser Family Foundation about how she is making an impact in the community.
Jasso is proud to be a first-generation high school graduate and college graduate.
FOX23 learned how for the last 10 years, she had been working to provide opportunities for people of different backgrounds.
“So I’m originally born and raised from southern California. I was born in a really small town in Riverside County. I’m the proud daughter of two Mexican immigrants who came to this country with a lot of hopes and a lot of dreams to live a better life for themselves and their young children,” Jasso said.
Jasso said that is where she believes her drive, philanthropic heart and love for education were born.
“My parents every single day would say, ‘Mija, we’re not going to leave you with a fancy car or a fancy house, but an education no one can take away from you,’” Jasso said.
Jasso takes pride in being able to say she is the first generation high school and college graduate.
“My mom worked at a factory, cleaned houses. My dad was a landscaper. They taught me early on that you had to work hard, be resilient and do everything right, follow the rules,” Jasso said.
After graduating from UCLA, Jasso joined Teach For America and became a sixth-grade math teacher in Sapulpa.
Now she works for the George Kaiser Family Foundation where their mission is to make sure every family, no matter the background, has an opportunity to be successful.
“I have the privilege of being able to work with multiple organizations in our city that are doing charitable activities weather it’s providing legal services or supporting moms who are in the postpartum period or it’s the arts. I work with those organizations alongside my colleagues to help ensure that Tulsa is one of the most vibrant and welcoming places for families and for young children,” Jasso said.
She hopes that her work will have a positive impact on the next generation.
“I really hope that young children can see my story, they can see a little bit about themselves and they can see that it’s possible,” Jasso said.
She said she feels the most important part of what she does is showing children who look like her that they belong at the table and in conversations to make a difference in the Tulsa community.
