by JEFAS Magazine | Feb 5, 2026 | Latest Features
By Karlha Velásquez South Sioux City, Nebraska, has its own rising music star — and she didn’t emerge from a reality show or television contest. Her name is Esly Graciela Ovando-Quiñónez, a Guatemalan-born vocal coach, multi-instrumentalist, mother, doctoral student,...
by JEFAS Magazine | Feb 5, 2026 | Latest Features
By Karlha Velásquez The day Alejandra Valdez noticed her feet were still swollen two days after a walk at the zoo, she knew something wasn’t right. In her early 20s and working long hours in an office, she ate whatever was available and felt tired all the time. That...
by JEFAS Magazine | Feb 5, 2026 | Latest Features
By Christina Fernández-Morrow More than 6,000 people packed the 2024 Midwest Chingona Fest in Omaha, Nebraska — now the country’s largest celebration of Latina strength and perseverance — but the woman behind that grand vision once sat in her basement workshop...
by JEFAS Magazine | Feb 5, 2026 | Latest Features
By Antonia Rivera Lisa Guerra never spoke Spanish as a child; her parents made sure of it. Today, the South Sioux City real estate agent has a career built on what her parents once hid: her Latina heritage. She does business in both English and Spanish, turning what...
by JEFAS Magazine | Feb 5, 2026 | Latest Features
By Christina Fernández-Morrow Curious foodies and locals are drawn to the bright green lights around the “MEXICAN SUSHI” sign on Wendy Urquidez’s food truck at the West Point Farmers Market. Inside, Urquidez shapes locally grown cucumbers, avocados, and select cuts of...
