Francisco Cámara Riess was born in Mérida, México, where he earned a BA in Social Communications. He was in his second year of college when he landed his first job in a newsroom, translating The Associated Press stories for a local newspaper.
“I did not get the job because I was a Social Communications student,” says Cámara Riess. “I got it because, when I was a teenager, I was fortunate enough to spend several summers learning English at Camp Thunderbird, near Charlotte, North Carolina.”
After graduating, he moved to nearby Cancún, a tourist destination where he could apply his language skills better. That promise was proven true when he was hired as an editor for the first locally produced edition of The Miami Herald International Edition.
“I was only 27 years old when I found myself discussing news topics with seasoned American journalists during my trips to Miami.” says Cámara Riess. “That experience changed my expectations. I saw myself making a difference in America.”
The opportunity to make a difference arrived in the summer of 2000, when he was asked to develop the editorial department of Qué Pasa, a small weekly Spanish-language newspaper serving the emerging Hispanic community of North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region.
“I found myself with the opportunity to come back to North Carolina and help a community in need of news and education,” says Cámara Riess. “It was a win-win situation.”
During his seven-year tenure with the company, Qué Pasa grew from a single edition with a circulation of 12,000 to three editions that cover virtually all of North Carolina with a circulation of 85,000. He also developed the news department of Qué Pasa’s six radio stations.
“If during all those years of hard work I helped one single reader to improve his or her quality of life, then I have accomplished a lot,” says Cámara Riess.
Liliana Cámara was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She obtained her BA in Modern Languages at the University of Caldas in Manizales, a college city located in the heart of the Colombian Andes.
“My father was an artist and my mother a teacher. Our house was at the peak of the mountain, an ideal place for dad to paint in peace,” says Liliana. “The interaction in such relative isolation allowed me to learn about the teaching process from my mother, and to develop creative techniques to apply it from my father.”
While still in college, Liliana began teaching in a bilingual high school. After graduating, she was hired to teach English in the continuing-education programs at University of Caldas and University of Manizales. She was also invited to teach English to adults at a local school of languages, an opportunity that eventually changed the course of her life.
“One of my adult students needed a crash-course in English because he had a job interview in North Carolina,” she recalls. “I must have done a good job, because he got the position and a few months later he called me and asked if I wanted to join the company he worked for in Winston-Salem.”
That was 1999, and the company was Qué Pasa, publisher of a small weekly Spanish-language newspaper that served the Triad’s emerging Hispanic community and was in need of bilingual professionals.
“They hired me as a salesperson, but soon we realized that I could do more for the company applying my analytical skills to develop new logistics for internal operations,” says Liliana. “It was fascinating: I was learning new skills and at the same time I was teaching associates how to apply them.”
From traffic manager, to marketing manager and to national sales,—she did it all. Until she left in 2005, Liliana was a key member of the management team, helping the company grow to become the largest Spanish-language media conglomerate in North Carolina,.
“Those six years helped me to learn how to match the needs of the Hispanic community with the needs of businesses and organizations ready to reach the Hispanic market,” says Liliana. “I decided to take that knowledge and apply it to new ventures and aspirations.”
In 2005 Liliana joined a team of teachers from Forsyth Technical Community College providing customized Spanish lessons to organizations in the medical, banking and law-enforcement fields.
“It is a great concept. We’re not only teaching our students the language, but also the culture,” she says.
One year later, Wake Forest University School of Medicine conducted a research study of obesity prevention among Hispanic children. Liliana was hired as the link between 80 Hispanic families and the researchers, providing weekly seminars on health awareness and the importance of diet and exercise. During that period, Liliana was part of a team of community leaders that conducted the first-of-its-kind Latino Community Assessment Report in Forsyth County, funded by Hispanics in Philanthropy.
Liliana’s deep knowledge of the Hispanic culture and her marketing skills were essential when she was asked by the United States Tennis Association in 2006 to direct their Hispanic Outreach Initiative in North Carolina.
At the same time, her constant desire for intellectual growth led her to pursue a second career, and in 2008 she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
“It was one of the best decisions I have made so far,” says Liliana. “I chose my curriculum with emphasis in cognitive psychology, which helped me to take my teaching skills to the next level, and the knowledge I have acquired in the area of psychology in general has definitely improved the way I approach the challenges of working with the Hispanic community.”