For the members of the Intel Latino Network (ILN), building community and reaching out are vital to both the present and the future.

ILN began as a group of five Arizona employees meeting to help each other navigate corporate life at Intel. This launched what has become a thriving Latino network at Intel. Since becoming an Intel chartered Employee Group in 1993, ILN has grown to seven chapters. The group helps more than 600 members advance their careers and further their educations by providing active leadership, as well as offering numerous networking and outreach opportunities.

ILN mentors new employees and fosters business acumen throughout an active network. The group also raises awareness of Latino culture throughout Intel by sponsoring annual events such as Cinco de Mayo and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. Tango and Salsa dancing classes, brown bag lunch groups, panel discussions, and cultural sessions combine business with an understanding of the cultures of Latin America.

Fourteen-year Intel veteran Trino attests to ILN's positive influence. A facilities automation manager for Oregon Corporate Services, Trino says a common purpose, mentorship, and cultural understanding are at the heart of ILN.

"One of the motivating factors for me to belong to ILN is that I relate to the other members and the issues they encounter," says Trino. "I was raised in a small town in Mexico working the farm with my parents, and I look at where I am now—working for the largest microprocessor company in the world, managing employees and critical, complex systems. It's a big transition personally and culturally. How did I get from point A to point B? Pursuing these goals and working in the high tech industry is not an easy path."

Trino joined ILN about fours years ago, shortly after the Oregon chapter was formed, and has been president of the chapter for the past three years.

"I wish I'd had the type of support ILN offers when I was first getting started at Intel," says Trino. "It would have been great to have had a mentor to help me get through it all—ILN is an important tool for employees, offering us a chance to develop different skills and gain opportunities for personal and career growth."

Through a number of innovative outreach programs such as the 4-H Tech Wizards* in Oregon, ILN members are making an impact in local communities. The 4-H Tech Wizards* is a mentoring program focused on promoting education and careers in math, science and technology-related fields among female, minority, and rural Oregon middle and high school youth.

"One of my goals with ILN is to plant seeds and cultivate for the future by working with kids in schools, understanding how to motivate them to get involved in science and technology," says Trino.

"I'm overwhelmed with pride at how much ILN strives to make such a big impact on the Latino community by mentoring and educating students of all ages about engineering, the importance of education, and the role that Intel plays in both areas," adds Yvette. "More importantly, we are able to reach the parents of the students and educate them; you can almost immediately see the positive impact you can make in the lives of an entire family unit."