Advocating for the rights of Latinos, working with Latino youth and organizing community events that embrace collaboration among other organizations, community members and government leaders across North Carolina are just a few of the responsibilities Martha “Iliana” Santillan-Carrillo holds as a community organizer at El Pueblo. A nonprofit organization located in Raleigh, N.C., El Pueblo is focused on building positive social change in the Latino community.

Santillan-Carrillo graduated from NC State University’s Youth, Family, and Community Sciences Program in May 2015 with a master’s degree in family life and youth development from the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences. With more than ten years of ESL teaching experience, and through her work at El Pueblo, she is living out her dreams and doing what she loves: promoting change within the Latino community, fostering and supporting Latino youth and communities at large and advocating for the rights of Latinos through community partnerships, leadership development and volunteerism.

Santillan-Carrillo, who will be recognized Friday as one of the college’s outstanding young alumni, has plans to not only return to teaching part-time, but also to return to NC State for continued education. She hopes to one day manage her own non-profit organization focused on supporting families, communities and youth.

Written by: Deidra M. Craig | Youth, Family, and Community Sciences Public Communication Specialist