About Juntas
Juntas, or “together,” offers a brave space for Latinx women, femme, and nonbinary woman-identified students to share unique cultural experiences with other members of the UWM community. Latinx community and campus leaders will facilitate a cooperative learning experience for attendees through small discussion/”healing” circles. This program aims to help build relationships, share communal narratives, and develop tools for support, success, and self-care. “When one grows, we all grow. adj. /Spanish: together.
This event is co-sponsored by the Roberto Hernández Center and the Women’s Resource Center
Keynote Speakers and Facilitators
Yolanda Medina
Yolanda Medina is the current director of the Military Veterans Resource Center at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She was assigned to the Naval Air Station, Cherry Point, NC. and was the first female to work on the AV8-A Harrier in environmental systems.
After completing their military service, Yolanda and her late-husband Joe, and their growing family moved to Texas for 11 years before moving back to Wisconsin to be closer to extended family. In Wisconsin they reconnected with the military through Marine Corps League, the VFW, and the American GI Forum (AGIF). The American GI Forum is a congressionally chartered Hispanic veterans and civil rights organization that began after World War II. This group originally raised awareness of the discrimination Hispanic veterans endured after the war, including denial of VA benefits and burial privileges.
Out of her involvement with the AGIF and motivated by the omission of Hispanic and Native American veteran’s stories from a well-known 2007 PBS WWII documentary, she and Joe assisted the AGIF in creating the Latino Veterans Pictorial Project. Medina continues her advocacy work with veterans as the Director of the Military and Veterans Resource Center at UW-Milwaukee. She co-chairs the Veterans Advisory Council to the Chancellor and sits on the Chancellor’s Council for Hispanic Serving Initiatives at the university.
Her passion for women veterans, the Latinx community, and veteran mental health and wellness has led Yolanda to serve on the boards of the Latino Veterans Legacy of Valor Organization, the American GI Forum for Hispanic Veterans, Forward Latino, as advisor to Latinx Veteran issues, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Task Force on Veteran Suicide Prevention.
Sandra Dempsey
“Sandra Dempsey is a sought-after producer, influencer, and marketing advisor. Her passion and creativity, paired with powerful business acumen, have solidified Sandra as a trusted community leader. A native of Mexico who has lived and worked in the U.S. for over 20 years, Sandra’s career has included working for major media organizations like ESPN and Telemundo before launching her own successful business, Source TEN, which specializes in communications, Hispanic marketing consulting, and video production. She also proudly co-founded Estamos Unidos US, a bilingual, multi-platform brand created to showcase Milwaukee experiences with high energy and cultural authenticity, adding health and wellness content to make it an even more wholesome brand. On the weekends, Sandra can be found hiking and boating throughout Wisconsin with her husband, three kids, and a German Shorthair Pointer named Archie, who’s featured in the Source TEN logo and branding!”
Juntas Fall 2021
This year’s theme is “UWM Community Story telling.” Juntas will provide attendees an opportunity to reflect on the theme while connecting to attendees and facilitators on a deeper level to illuminate the beauty, diversities, and complexities of identifying as a Latinx woman at UWM.
Juntas Fall 2020
This year’s theme is “Activism and Self-Care.” This year we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Roberto Hernández Center and the women behind its history. Juntas will provide attendees an opportunity to reflect on self-care as a radical and transformative practice while connecting to attendees and facilitators on a deeper level to illuminate the beauty, diversities, and complexities of identifying as a Latinx women.
