Orgullo Sin Fronteras
Orgullo Sin Fronteras
Welcome to LEAD 2026! Below is the schedule for the conference. The dress code for attending all panels and workshops is business casual. Please note that multiple panels and workshops occur during the same block, so please choose one to attend per block. There will be QR codes at the beginning of each session to track attendance at the different events. The schedule is still subject to change and may be updated as we finalise workshops and panels. The final schedule will be emailed to all attendees the week of the conference.
The help desk will be running at all times throughout the conference, in the main common room between all the conference rooms and side rooms. Check-in will continue in North West Labs after 4 pm for any late arrivals. Coat check on Friday will begin at 3 pm in North West Labs Room B110, while coat check on Saturday will begin at 8 am in the SOCH. If you have any questions, please email us at huleadquestions@gmail.com
LEAD 2026 SCHEDULE
Check-In
Introductions
Achievement Keynote: Danna Paola
Panel #1
Dinner
Workshop Block #1: Healing Through Writing
Closing and Announcements
Soirée Social
Friday, February 6th, 2025
12:00 - 4:00 PM
4:00 - 4:15 PM
4:15 - 5:15 PM
5:30 - 6:30 PM
6:30 - 7:15 PM
7:30 - 8:30 PM
8:35 - 8:45 PM
9:15 - 11:00 PM
Breakfast & Mingle
Introductions
Activism Keynote: Poderistas, Chingonas Table featuring:
Susi Collins, Charlotte Castillo, Carmen Perez-Jordan, Monica Ramirez
Panel #2
Lunch
Workshop Block #2: Dance with Candela
Workshop Block #3: Digital Story-Creative Media
Networking Event
Panel #3
Break
Final Dinner Featuring Trailblazer Keynote: Quiara Alegría Hudes
Official LEAD Afterparty
Official LEAD Self-Care Night
Saturday, February 7th, 2025
8:00 - 9:00 AM
9:00 - 9:15 AM
9:30 - 10:30 AM
10:45 - 11:45 AM
11:45 - 12:15 PM
12:15 - 1:00 PM
1:15 - 2:15 PM
2:30 - 3:30 PM
3:45 - 4:45 PM
4:45 - 6:00 PM
6:00 - 8:00 PM
10:00 - 1:00 AM
10:00 - 12:00 AM
Panel #1
Finance & Technology Panel
Evelyn Barahona
Reyna Pacheco
Lina Parra Cartagena
Liliana Zygouris
Non-Profit and Public Service Panel
Maria Alfaro - One Paso
Wendy Mejia-Ochoa - Workers Justice Center
Maribel Cervantes - National Housing Trust
Miriam Ortiz - Eastern Bank Non-Profit & Philanthropy Sector
Education Panel
Leticia Garcia Arango
Jessica Urzua
Margarita Alegria
Gabriela Soto Laveaga
Event Details
Panel #2
Law & Policy Panel
Dalila Wendlandt
Daniela Albert
Madeleine Rodriguez
Edda Santiago
Healthcare & Medicine Panel
Diana Lopez
Yvonne Castaneda
Juliana Londoño
Alicia Amairan
Amanda Lynn Hernandez
Panel #3
Business & Entrepreneurship Panel
Patty Delgado
Valeria Vinas
Daniela Madrid Hadges
Science & Technology Panel
Stephani Sotomayor
Rosa Serrano
Fernanda Sulantay
Indara Suarez
Workshop Block #1
Healing Through Writing
This workshop invites participants to explore writing as a space for reflection, creativity, and care. Through gentle prompts and conversation, attendees can use storytelling, journaling, or personal expression to make meaning of their experiences in their own way. The session is led by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, an award-winning author whose historical fiction centers Afro–Puerto Rican journeys and resilience, bringing a powerful storytelling lens to the practice of healing through writing.
Workshop Block #3
Digital Story: Creative Media Workshop
Have big dreams but don’t know where to start? Join Sonia Camacho, a Digital Accessibility Engineer at Nike, for a hands-on workshop on creating digital stories and media. Learn how to design content with accessibility in mind while using creative tools to share stories that reach and reflect diverse audiences. Join this workshop for expert tips on how to set goals and use creative media to make your dreams a reality, step by step!
Breakfast & Mingle
Open to all attendees. Ambassadors will have their own appreciation breakfast.
Soirée Social
Dress Code: Formal
Theme: Nuestra Belleza Latina
We’re taking the night to celebrate! Join the Soirée Social for music, refreshments, and good vibes as we embrace our theme, Nuestra Belleza Latina.
Workshop Block #2
Dance with Candela
A high-energy Harvard Candela workshop where you learn fun Latin dance moves, rhythm, and partner basics!
Final Dinner Featuring Activist Keynotes: Monica Ramirez & Carmen Perez-Jordan
Dress code is black tie attire.
To close the evening is this year’s Trailblazer Keynote, Quiara Alegría Hudes! A Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and Tony Award–winning co-creator of In the Heights, Hudes is an acclaimed writer whose work spans theater, film, and memoir. From Water by the Spoonful to her memoir My Broken Language, her storytelling explores identity, language, community, and resilience. She is also the co-founder of Emancipated Stories, a prison writing program. Join us for an inspiring conversation on creativity, culture, and using art to tell powerful, transformative stories.
Official LEAD Afterparty
College ID required for attendance Theme: Mañana Será Bonito
Join us in celebrating the culmination of a transformative conference with music, community, and joy!...because mañana será bonito!
Official LEAD Self-Care Night
Open to College and High School Attendees
Join us for a self-care night of face masks, Legally Blonde, and snacks!