12 Receive ​“Pasaportes”

When Rosella Herrera, owner of the Virgen de Guadalupe Daycare, started her business in 2005, she was working out of a studio apartment caring only for a couple of kids.

After turning to community organizations like the Spanish American Merchants Association, known as SAMA, Herrera said, she was advised to rent a house, where she now watches nine children with the hopes of one day moving the business to a bigger center.

Herrera was one of 12 graduates honored Thursday from SAMA’s ​‘Pasaporte’ computer training program, which guides Latino entrepreneurs through Microsoft Office and finance software, QuickBooks.

“I made friends, learned accounting skills and received advice for running my business,” said Herrera, who took part in SAMA’s 19th graduation ceremony on Grand Avenue.

Herrera and the graduates were presented their certificates by local and state leaders, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who commented on Latino entrepreneurship.

“The fastest-growing part of our population is the Latino people,” said Blumenthal. ​“These small business people are directly in touch with them, know their needs and respond to what they want. That market is tremendously important and the more they grow the more there are jobs.”

Looking out to the audience of future and current business owners, Fernando Rosa, deputy director of the Hartford Economic Development Corporation, offered students advice on ​“choosing the business road”.

“It means you’re going to work 18 to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and there is no guaranteed paycheck, but when you succeed, you’ll be happy you made that decision,” said Rosa.

The 10-week training course is offered out of SAMA’s three Connecticut offices, including its New Haven location on 258 Grand Ave. in the Fair Haven neighborhood. Applications for participation in the next course, beginning in September, can be found at the 2nd floor office.

This story originally appeared in Spanish in La Voz Hispana.