Join the Young Latino Network as we commemorate the 2025 edition of Noche de Guayabera! This annual event serves as a celebration and fundraiser, dedicated to honoring the remarkable individuals, groups, and organizations within our community who are actively championing positive change.
Each year, we proudly recognize outstanding members of our comunidad who exemplify dedication to inclusivity, diversity, advocacy, and social equity. This year’s esteemed awardees are:
Libre Award: Zulma Zabala, JD, MPA
The Libre Award honors individuals who exemplify the true spirit of a freedom fighter, relentlessly advocating for our community’s rights, freedoms, and justice. This esteemed accolade celebrates those who have dedicated their lives to upholding the principles of liberty, standing up for what is right, and inspiring positive change. This year, we proudly recognize Zulma Zabala for her decades-long commitment to equity, empowerment, and collective liberation.
Zulma is a seasoned nonprofit leader, motivational coach, and founder of Zulma Zabala & Ubuntu Associates, LLC, where she blends the African philosophy of Ubuntu with values-driven leadership. Her acclaimed PurposeFull Voice framework helps individuals and organizations lead with authenticity, courage, and compassion.
As former President & CEO of East End Neighborhood House, Zulma led transformative, community-centered initiatives rooted in dignity and care. Her lifelong mantra, “Together we can, on behalf of humanity,” continues to guide her tireless work for justice.
Carmen Nieves-Rolon Volunteer Service Award: Veronica Martinez Lopez
The Carmen Nieves-Rolon Volunteer Service Award honors the life and legacy of Carmen Nieves-Rolon. Carmen’s tenacity and dedication to servant leadership will live on and are continuously embodied by YLN volunteers. This year, we are proud to recognize Veronica Martinez Lopez as the recipient of this distinguished award.
Born in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in May 1972, Veronica has been a passionate community activist and literacy advocate for more than 30 years. In Juárez, she helped organize Encuentros de Escritores por Juárez and co-founded Hoja de Ruta, a collective and community library dedicated to promoting a culture of reading and resistance through literature. For Veronica, storytelling is not just a pastime—it is a form of love, resistance, and collective healing.
Since moving to Cleveland, Veronica has continued to uplift her community, bringing that same passion to her volunteer work with the Young Latino Network (YLN). Whether she’s helping coordinate cultural celebrations, supporting voter engagement efforts, or lending a hand behind the scenes, Veronica shows up consistently with warmth, humility, and deep care for our gente. Her contributions have been instrumental in making our events vibrant, welcoming, and impactful.
Democracy Builder Award: Maria Sapia
YLN’s Democracy Builder Award is presented to an individual that has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to building an equitable democracy and ensuring that the Latine community has a voice in this democracy. This year we are proud to honor Maria Sapia.
Maria is a proud Cleveland community leader, originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico. For years, she has dedicated herself to grassroots organizing, canvassing, and relationship-building that drives meaningful change. Maria has played a vital role in efforts to protect public health, including collecting signatures for initiatives to combat lead poisoning in Cleveland, and has contributed to major political campaigns such as President Obama’s.
Her commitment to community well-being extends beyond organizing—she previously served as a Case Manager at the Hispanic Senior Center, where she helped educate Latino seniors on healthier eating habits. In 2024, Maria joined the Young Latino Network (YLN) as a canvasser to support voter registration and civic engagement efforts.
Deeply committed to justice and community empowerment, Maria continues to fight for the rights and voices of those often overlooked. Her work has left a lasting impact on Cleveland’s Latino community.
Movement Builder Award: C Stonebraker-Martinez
YLN’s Movement Builder Award recognizes exceptional individuals who have played a pivotal role in galvanizing communities and spearheading initiatives to bridge gaps within a designated sector or field. This accolade celebrates their unwavering dedication and innovative approach to organizing and mobilizing community members towards impactful change. This year’s recipient, C Stonebraker-Martinez, exemplifies that spirit through their leadership as Co-Director of the InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF).
IRTF is a Cleveland-based grassroots organization dedicated to human rights and collective liberation across the Americas. Under C’s leadership, the organization has launched powerful initiatives including the Cleveland Pandemic Response, the Northeast Ohio Worker Center, and the Immigration Working Group of Cleveland. Their work centers those most impacted by systemic violence—Afro-Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ people, and low-wage workers—and challenges unjust policies through education, mutual aid, and direct action.
C’s bold, collaborative approach continues to shape a more just and connected future for our communities. We’re proud to honor their vision and movement-building legacy.
Partner of the Year Award: Northeast Ohio Worker Center
YLN’s Partner of the Year Award is presented to an organization or group that has supported the Young Latino Network throughout the year. The YLN Partner of the Year demonstrates aligned values, serves as a thought partner, and strongly supports our mission and vision. This partner is committed to bringing YLN to the table and supporting our mission and vision. We are thrilled to announce that our Partner of the Year is the Northeast Ohio Worker Center (NEOWC).
In 2024, the Northeast Ohio Worker Center (NEOWC) and the Young Latino Network (YLN) launched the region’s first bilingual wage theft clinic to support workers facing exploitation. The clinic revealed that immigration status is frequently used by employers to intimidate and exploit workers. In response, NEOWC and YLN relaunched the clinic in 2025 in partnership with local law firm Juarez, Bartell, and Georgelas. Beyond direct services, the organizations have also collaborated on community organizing and policy efforts, including campaigns for anti-wage theft protections and pay transparency legislation.
Social Impact Award: Marielee Santiago-Rodriguez
YLN’s Social Impact Award honors a person or group who actively seeks to operationalize their privilege to challenge historical, institutional, and structural barriers to Black, Indigenous Peoples, and People of Color through peer education, advocacy, policy development, or other transformative actions that impact the political or social determinants of health in nuestra comunidad. This year, we honor Marielee Santiago-Rodriguez, Director of Transformative Knowledge and Education at the MetroHealth Institute for H.O.P.E.™
An enthusiastic lifelong learner, Marielee is committed to advancing health equity and educating anchor institutions on fostering meaningful community engagement. She brings expertise in guiding leaders to harness cross-sector collaborations to address the social, economic, and political root causes of health disparities among marginalized populations. Marielee has designed and implemented education and training on social drivers of health and strategies for integration within health systems. She advocates for equitable access to economic stability, digital connectivity, education, and workforce training as essential components for achieving health equity.
Join us in honoring these remarkable individuals at Tremont Cityside Ballroom on July 18. Secure your tickets now!