iddle of the perfect pairing ... and parking it here for the night! ♪♪ so come get away... together... to the incredible, unforgettable illinois— the middle of everything. ♪♪ damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo, and don't forget that qr code at the bottom of your screen so that you can register to vote. it takes you directly to the secretary of state's office the middle of everything. in sacramento. right there with that code, you will now be able to register to vote right here on "comunidad del valle." well, today's show, carnaval returns to san francisco, on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ damian: and that's where we're gonna begin today's show, "comunidad del valle," with carnaval. it's back in full force and with us back also is rodrigo duran who spends a lot of time away from us, but he's back here on the show. welcome back, rodrigo. rodrigo duran: thank you, damian, thank you for having me. i'm always looking forward to these. damian: i appreciate you. well, it's back better than ever. tell us about carnaval 2024. rodrigo: yeah, we're celebrating our 46th anniversary at carnaval san francisco, taking place in the mission district on saturday, may 25th, and sunday, may 26th. both days are for the festival, the grand parade is only on sunday, may 26th, and we have a lot of great things in store. damian: tell us about some of those great things that we have to look forward to.

rodrigo: so, for our festival we have four wonderful headliners that are going to represent carnaval, because it's multicultural. so, if you like corridos, you like mexican regional music, we have noel torres coming from mexico. if you want to listen to some hot timba salsa from puerto rico, we're bringing pirulo y la tribu. if you want to dance to punta, garifuna music from honduras, we have banda blanca who will be dancing, sopa de caracol, and for folks that like ballads and just want to be serenaded, we have franco who's gonna be singing "toda la vida." damian: i remember that one. and we're looking at some great video that you provided us of last year's parade. again, this is more than just a parade now, right? i mean, we're talking about the parade on sunday, but as you mentioned, festival on saturday and sunday. rodrigo: that's correct, and you know, the parade is like our gem, right? that's where all of the beautiful colors, and cultures, and dances come together, you know, and celebrate on the

streets of mission district, and we're really honored again that this year with our theme on indigenous roots, to have with us dr. rigoberta menchú, the 1992 nobel peace prize recipient as our grand marshal, so we couldn't be more than, you know, ecstatic and in honored to have her. damian: wow, i mean, this separates it a little bit. it's not just a party on and listen to great music, now we're talking about a real, living legend in rigoberta menchú. i mean, this is gonna be an educational festival as well. rodrigo: there you go, that's what we do with everything. not only are we celebrating, having fun, you know, doing the party, i guess, but we're educating ourselves. we're bringing awareness of issues, not only here locally, but around the world, and we get to do that in a fun way. i mean, it doesn't get any better than that. damian: oh, absolutely, well, that's something to look forward to, but again, it's a two-day festival, the first one

on saturday, and then sunday is the parade, ending with the festival. it's memorial day weekend, what more do you want? three-day weekend, let's show you that information for festival 2024. there is the web address, it's always happening, only happening, in san francisco. we'll, we'll be back with rodrigo here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us.

damian: we're back here on "comunidad del valle" with rodrigo duran, the mero, mero of the carnaval san francisco 2024. do you ever get, rodrigo, you know, because you wanna represent everybody, the colombiano saying, hey, what about us, what about our music, the mexicano saying, what about us? los basileros, i mean, they're always gonna be there. do you get any of that? rodrigo: that's part of the fun, you know, it's balancing all the beautiful cultures, and that happens at the grand parade. so, i hear the dominicanos, i hear the puerto ricans, say, hey, what about us? well, welcome to the grand parade, this is where you showcase the best of the best of their cultura, and it's open,

it's open for anyone to participate and be part of. so, at the end of the day, everyone has an opportunity to showcase the best of their culture. damian: and you know what? and they say about latinos that we're not monolithic, that we're not just one group, we're a combination of many different groups, and carnaval showcases each and every one of those groups. rodrigo: yeah, when we celebrate our carnaval, we are representing 23 different countries and cultures from latin america and the caribbean, so exactly what you said, that's 23 different histories, you know, of how those countries and cultures came to be, and everyone has that opportunity to showcase their beauty, their language, and their music in our festival and grand parade. damian: now, aside from brazil, rank san francisco's carnaval

for us. where does it rank outside of brazil? you can't compete with brazil. rodrigo: carnaval in san francisco ranks as the most magical and multicultural in the world, [laughing], because you can't find something like our carnival, you know. you can find definitely larger ones, because in latin america, you know, it's the whole country celebrating, but you won't find something as diverse where you get 200 low riders, right? and then you have panamanians, and then you have brazilians, puerto ricans, salvadorians, dominicans, and so on and so forth. you won't find this combination almost anywhere around the world, so that's what makes it unique and magical. damian: you know, and in san francisco, we have the cherry blossom parade, and several other parades and festivals, now rank carnaval in san francisco. is it the number one event, the iconic event of san francisco? rodrigo: well, i'm biased, of course, i think that. but you know what? it is the celebration for all, that's what we do say, because

you will find dancing, some of the best salseros that are not latino, you know, they're asian, they're white, they're african-american, and the same goes for all the different styles of dancing. and so, carnaval is that melting pot of what makes this city and this bay area so unique, and it's the multiculturalism, and we embody that in every single celebration, so i can say that. damian: and do you have scouts that go out to other countries to say, "let's get that group, that band, and have that in a festival," or do they come to you and say, "we want to be a part of it?" rodrigo: it's both, it's both, because we have those ties and those relationships across the borders, right? north, south, east, west, but specifically latin america. we have folks that travel there every february because they celebrate their carnaval there. so, they go travel, bring us information, and tell us of these wonderful dance groups and artists that want to participate at our carnaval. so, every year we get folks from bolivia, from colombia,

from mexico, that just come to our celebration, and we have of course, dr. rigoberta menchú coming from guatemala, so we have our people out there. damian: it's gonna be lit in san francisco. gracias, rodrigo, for bringing it each and every year to san francisco. i appreciate your help. rodrigo: thank you, thank you, damian. damian: let's share that information. carnaval is happening memorial day weekend in san francisco, two-day festival, and the parade on sunday. up next here on "comunidad del valle," preparing for college. stay with us.

damian: many students have received already their confirmation or acceptance letters for college, and that's been a very stressful time for those families. i know it was for my family. joining us now is malyna, my daughter, she just completed her freshman year at george washington university in washington d.c. she's home for a couple of weeks before she goes back to washington for an internship. malyna isn't it great that your dad is a reporter and he said

you're gonna be on the show today, whether you like it or not? malyna trujillo: i didn't really have a choice. damian: well, we're really proud. i talked about the stress that we went through last year. what can you tell the students who went through it this year, maybe the parents, and maybe even the juniors and sophomores who are watching the show or their families, about how to handle that stress? because it is stressful. malyna: yeah, it was definitely really stressful for me, and i can see that the more i got stressed, the more you guys got stressed, and so to deal with that, i just had to remind myself that the whole application system, in my opinion, can be really random, and if you think you deserve to go somewhere, you might not get in because of one little thing that they're not looking for that year. and so, in my opinion, it really doesn't say anything about the kind of student you are, the kind of person you are, and so i would just lean on that idea. that really, in the end it doesn't matter, and my value

isn't in what these institutions think of me. and so, i think the system can definitely be really random, and it's built to benefit people who don't look like us, and so, reminding myself of that all the time definitely helped deal with the stress. but i think for parents, what helped the most was just being supportive. students know what deadlines they're facing, so, like, reminding me every five seconds that something is due doesn't exactly help, but just knowing that you're there and that if i just need to talk about something, i can. and that wherever i'll end up, i'll be fine, and that i'll end up where i'm meant to be. damian: oh, absolutely, we're very proud of you and i know that when you were home, i'm gonna share a secret here, you're afraid of the dark, you're afraid to go upstairs if it's dark. now you're on the other side of the country, and you're right

in the metro, you're going to places on your own, talk about that transformation that you went through from one year to the next. malyna: i think it was a lot worse for other people. there's, like, a diverse range of students there, people who had parents who didn't make them clean, or do chores, or do laundry, or anything, and so i think they have it a lot worse. they had to learn how to do all that. but for me, i think just forcing myself to be independent and go places on my own because i didn't have a choice, that's all i had to do. and so, moving so far away was the push that i needed, and now i'm fine doing on my own. i rented a u-haul, that was fun, and i'm able to move out, move in on my own, get everything done, talk to my professors, and of course, you guys are always there for support through

facetime or text, but for the most part i'm doing fine on my own. damian: it sounds like you really are. now, talk about--you say yourself you are brown and proud, and you were raised that way, to have pride in your culture. talk about how you're bringing that to washington d.c. malyna: i think in high school, going from a really diverse school where all cultures are appreciated, to a predominantly white institution in pwi was a little bit difficult, but i think i was able to find my people in my mentors, and my friends, my professors, and i think it was a little bit more difficult. i had to reach out on my own and, like, take that first step on my own, which i haven't had to do in the past. but in the end, i definitely found my people that i can rely on that are going through the same thing as me, and that can

help me out. and so, i think it was difficult at first, there's definitely a lot of privileged people and racist people at my school, but in the end, i found my people and i'm able to rely on them, and i still love my school, i'm doing great. damian: oh, well, we know you are, you're doing absolutely wonderful. well, now you're the daughter of a former farm worker, you're the granddaughter of a vietnam veteran, talk about how maybe you hope to bring those values and that background to the halls of congress or even to the white house. malyna: well, i think even starting in college, i'm bringing my background in through the latino groups i'm in, like lulac gw, folklorico, but i'm also bringing it into spaces that are predominantly white or predominantly men, especially coming from an all girls school. that was an adjustment. there's a lot of mansplainers, but i bring my background into,

like, those women's pre-law association, or association of hispanic journalists, or even in my classes where i might be the only latina or the only girl. i just keep it in my mind and it's important for me to bring that experience, because it holds a perspective as well. and so, i'm able to bring that perspective with me and share ideas and participate in class and not be scared to raise my hand. damian: yeah, you don't like mansplaining then, huh? well, mija, we're very proud of you. you're gonna return back to washington. you're here in san jose now to do a summer internship, so we're proud of you. thank you for sharing your thoughts. maybe it'll help a family or two in the bay area. thank you, mija. malyna: thank you. damian: alright, we'll be back here on "comunidad del valle." we have some more interesting topics and music, stay with us.

damian: and we're back here on "comunidad del valle." reminder that that qr code at the bottom of your screen is

so that you can register to vote. that takes you directly to the secretary of state's office in sacramento so you can register to vote now here on "comunidad del valle." well, some great things happening here in the bay area through el salvador. with me is luis lopez and joe albers, co-founders, both of them, of the grande center for education and economic opportunity. gentlemen, welcome to the show. thank you for being here, thank you. well, we'll start with you, mr. albers, tell us about the grande center and how you're working collaboratively with them here in the bay area. joe albers: yeah, so grande center started as a dream of mine for a long time. i first went to el salvador when i was 20, 24 years ago, and i fell in love with this amazing community which luis is here and could tell you a little bit more about it directly. and since then, i've been in a relationship and lived there after i graduated college and always done everything i can to help. and the pandemic inspired me to work remotely, to be able to help the people of el salvador, and start grande center for education and economic opportunity.

damian: and what's that center doing for the folks in el salvador, sir? joe: so, we have a k-12 catholic school. right now, we just have first through fourth graders that will continue to grow out until we get all the way through high school, and we also have an adult training workforce initiative that we train local adults into entry level tech careers, and we also launched a company to have them work remotely from el salvador for usa based companies in artificial intelligence, a job called data labeling. damian: wow, what kind of difference, luis, has this been making in el salvador for you? luis lopez: well, i think this is a very important program for our country, and as we know, we are the first company doing this data labeling, so that made me feel proud because i'm doing something for my country. damian: and it's important, right, mr. albers, that countries like el salvador do not fall behind when it comes

to technology and the usage of technology this way. you want to make sure that every country is on par, if not even better than some of the other maybe more developed countries. joe: yeah, we're in a unique opportunity time frame, right, in the world, and the global context with understanding how the way of working is changing, and we're trying to leverage and to really bring more opportunity to regions like el salvador, to really open up and show the world its talented workforce that we have that can grow and be very capable of accessing and supporting companies here in the united states. damian: talk, if you will, luis, about the the situation in el salvador. how are things there and how is this, again, how is this agency helping maybe improve things for every family there? luis: well, i think the most common thing is that when a young man, a young woman, finish the high school, their plan is come to the united states

and looking for a better opportunity, and i think with this program, we are providing them a chance to stay in the country, to stay with the families, and to provide them a job to support their families. so, i think it's very important. damian: that's a fascinating aspect, if you will, and did you dig back, mr. albers, to your jesuit upbringing at the bellarmine in santa claira university? joe: absolutely, education is all about transformation and opening doors for people, so when i lived in el salvador, six months after high school there, i graduated, i taught english in the school. ninety percent of the students had immigrated illegally to the united states, and for me, the loss of talent and ability for social transformation and economic development in the region takes a significant hit when your most talented people are leaving consistently. so, our mission is to give people opportunity, open doors

for them to be able to stay with their family. people don't immigrate for no reason, they immigrate for education, for economic opportunity, for a better future, and we're trying to build that in el salvador. damian: how are american countries receiving that, or how have they received it? it's a fabulous opportunity for them and for central america. joe: yeah, so we're in the process of trying to grow our company. we just opened our doors last march, and we're looking for companies in artificial intelligence, those who are working in in any type of computer vision or natural language processing and need data labeling in their own time zone. that's our big advantage we can offer. most of these operations operate out of india or other parts across the globe, and our client that we've been working with is very happy that we are working live and we're able to give much higher output and stronger results with them as they also are participating in a great mission. one thing i forgot to mention is that our company, the profit from our company doesn't go to any investors, it goes actually straight back to the school.

and so, it's a cycle of opportunity, leveraging the own talent of salvadorans to help their future generations have better education. damian: wow, no need for that urgent necessity to immigrate to this country for a better life, they're finding it. and hopefully with the expansion, things might improve even more. let's show you some information on the screen. if you wanna get a hold of the folks that are here with this great program helping the folks in el salvador, there is a website. it's the grande center for education and economic opportunity, educating the folks in el salvador. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

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his father scott had a heart attack, all while we are living through a pandemic. if anyone needs to come home, and deserves to come home after a long year, it is them. life changing surprises-- you didn't tell us that. george: --transformations, and reveals. [screeching] no! wow! george: when families and communities come together,