YWCA Tribute To Women Honoree Highlight

2008 Human Service Tribute Honoree


Name: Loida C. Velázquez
Job Title: Program Director (retired)
Company Name: University of Tennessee

Activities: Board Member United Way of Knoxville; Knoxville Museum of Art Trustee; Board Member Regional American Red Cross Knoxville Area Chapter; Founding Board Member of The Race Relations Center of East Tennessee; Board Member First Tennessee Bank Community Council; Member Nine Counties One Vision Diversity and Human Relations Committee; HOLA: Hora Latina President (2005-2006); Chair Education Committee 2008; Faculty Advisor Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority, UT Chapter.
Affiliations and Honors: Selected Honorary Chair for the YWCA 2007 Race against Racism,; Leadership Knoxville 2004 graduate; Received Service Award after completing three year as the President of the HEP and CAMP Association 1998-2001; Outstanding Adult Education Student 1994; Received the 1994 National Rural Education Dissertation Award.

Loida C. Velázquez, Ed.D.

Loida C. Velázquez professional life has been dedicated to the service of marginalized populations. It started in her native Puerto Rico with her participation in the establishment of one of the first Head Start programs in the island and culminated at the University of Tennessee as the Principal Investigator and Project Director of a federally-funded program serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In between, there were stints as a counselor and Vocational Manager at the Knoxville Job Corp Center and as the East Tennessee Coordinator for the state agency providing advocacy to people with disabilities. A member of the first wave of Latinos settling in the South, she naturally assumed the role of leader and role model to the new immigrants populating the region. A graduate of Leadership Knoxville Class of 2004, she in turn prepared leaders within the Latino community as coordinator for the UT Institute for Public Service Leadership Plenty classes in 2006 and 2007. But the role that she enjoys best is that of grandmother because it gives her the opportunity to connect her 5 grandchildren with her Latino culture.

Living a healthy lifestyle during your college years

In college, it becomes increasingly hard to maintain a daily exercise schedule and a healthy diet. Females are constantly being faced with pressures to look good and be in good physical shape. I think the question every woman faces, including myself, is how do you find time and money to eat healthy and work out while facing the everyday challenge of classes, schoolwork, and a job?

It is so easy to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock in the morning, but I find that when I get up early in the morning to work out, I have more energy and I am generally happy the rest of the day. While sleeping in everyday is tempting, it usually leaves you feeling lethargic and is even harder to get out of bed.

A good work out does not have to be running five miles with the track team. Going on a brisk walk for thirty minutes around your apartment complex or around a local park is all you need. Anything to get my blood flowing and raise my heart beat a little always makes me feel better. Also, as you get into a routine with this, you can easily work your way up to running a few miles instead of walking.

You should also set attainable goals for yourself, such as, only working out three days a week then working up to four, five, even six days. It is always important to let your body rest at least one day a week, so choose your favorite day to be lazy and don’t work out!

Now to the fun part, food! First things first: stop eating out every day. This will not only help you save tons of money, but it will decrease the amount of calories you unknowingly intake. Go grocery shopping and stock up on delicious, healthy food. Buy things that you know you will want to eat later. What I like to do is buy a bag of frozen chicken breast, put them all in individual baggies, and sauté the chicken with vegetables and my favorite sauce for dinner.

Don’t underestimate the importance of breakfast. Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and gives you energy for the rest of the day. Cereal, oatmeal, scrambled eggs and fruit are all tasty options for breakfast that will easily satisfy your breakfast craving and get your metabolism going.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle in college can definitely be a challenge but I think that with these easy tips, you can work your way into a good routine that will be manageable through your college years. You should also check out this website that I found specifically for women’s health: http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/college101.html.

Devon Turner, YWCA Public Relations Intern
"I am currently a senior at the University of Tennessee and I will receive my Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a major in Public Relations with a minor in French. I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but I have lived in Knoxville for four years. I love to travel around with my friends and family and make memories that will last forever.

When I graduate, I plan to move back to Charlotte for a while then I would love to go explore the West Coast. I love dogs, surrounding myself around good people, and listening to interesting music."