We are an international network of students and young professionals working to inspire young people across the globe to think about and proactively support our young counterparts on the island through innovative means. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan movement, we seek only to provide youth with the tools and skills they deem necessary to build a better future for themselves.
We envision a day when youth are empowered with the skills and opportunities they deem necessary to make a successful future for themselves and their families. A day where youth on the island can freely say, think, feel, or do what they want, and not what they are told. A day when youth can act purposefully without repression, and work toward rebuilding a civil society that respects the rights of every individual.
Sissi Rodriguez is the Executive Director of Roots of Hope. Sissi was born in Cuba and lived on the island until the age of 14, when her family emigrated to the United States. Prior to joining Roots of Hope, she worked with universities developing and managing their international and visiting student programs. She earned a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law, where she focused ontrial advocacy.
Sissi graduated from the University of Florida where she earned a BS in Religion and Literature, with a minor in Latin American Studies. She currently serves on the Community Advisory Board of Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute.
Roots of Hope™ is proud to be recognized as a GuideStar® Gold certified nonprofit. Transparency and good stewardship of our financial resources are of the utmost importance to us, and we invite you to view our financial filings online at GuideStar.com.
Roots of Hope™ is a truly unique workplace. Our team is made up of people with different backgrounds all dedicated to empowering Cuban youth to become authors of their own future.
We offer dynamic opportunities ranging from Internships & Fellowships, to Full-Time Positions.
Our annual Leadership Fellowship program is an intense leadership-in-practice training opportunity for students and young professionals. The fellowship focuses on projects across all of Roots’ departments, giving Fellows an insider’s grasp of our organization and a chance to create real impact. Fellows will also be exposed to influential mentors and coaches ranging from Roots’ senior leadership to some of Miami’s most respected business, political, community, and artistic leaders. The Fellowship is a 10-week program in our Miami Beach office. For more information, please contact Careers@rootsofhope.org
The Roots of Hope is designed for young leaders to experience what working with a specific team within Roots of Hope is like. Our interns have the opportunity to work on special projects, collaborate with team members, and experience what it means to be a part of the Roots family.
Interns are required to volunteer 10 hours per week and have no geographical restrictions for the duration of the Summer Program (10 weeks).
Over the past few years, Roots of Hope has launched a number of exciting programs aimed at connecting with our counterparts on the island. Here’s a recap of some of those projects and some upcoming ones:
Roots of Hope is available to reporters for comment and interviews related to our work. If you are interested in covering Roots of Hope for a story please email press@rootsofhope.org or call 305-397-8604
Felice Gorordo is a co-founder of Roots of Hope, a serial entrepreneur, advisor and operator. Currently, Felice is CEO of L1BRE, a tech company that aims to empower citizens and transform urban mobility in Latin America. In Mexico City, L1BRE's platform powers the largest taxi fleet in the world, with more than 138,000 cabs in circulation.
Most recently, Felice was CEO of Clearpath, (acquired by L1BRE), a venture-backed tech company focused on revolutionizing the confusing, costly and paper-based immigration filing process - just as TurboTax transformed tax filing. Most recently, Felice was appointed by President Obama as one of fifteen 2011-2012 White House Fellows. In 2009, Felice was an advisor to 17-time Grammy winner Juanes and helped organize the historic Peace without Bordersconcert in Cuba, with 1.2 million in attendance. PODER Magazine has named Felice one of the 100 Poderosos Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S., and has been featured on CNN’s Young People Who Rock. Felice is a graduate of Georgetown University and currently resides in Miami, FL, with his wife, daughter and son.
Raul Moas is the Managing Director of AGP Miami, an angel investor network that brings together active, like-minded angel and early stage investors who are interested in sharing their deal flow and collective expertise in evaluating high-quality investments.
Prior to joining AGP, Raul served as the Executive Director of Roots of Hope. Raul is passionate about Greater Miami and deeply involved in making his community a better place. As a member of the Global Shapers Miami Hub, the young professional arm of the World Economic Forum, Raul focuses on promoting equitable development in Miami. Raul is also a member of Class VIII of the Miami Foundation's Miami Fellows program. Raul served as a Tax Associate at Ernst & Young's Miami office where he focused on domestic compliance, international tax planning and transfer pricing.
Raul earned a M.S. in Taxation and a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Miami, and is a licensed CPA in the State of Florida.
Tony Jimenez is a co-founder & current Chairman of Roots of Hope. Currently, Tony is a Managing Director at Medina Capital.
Tony has 15+ years of experience as an entrepreneur & venture capitalist in the technology sector. Prior to joining Medina Capital, Tony was VP of Corporate Development at L1BRE Technologies, a venture backed technology solutions company deploying urban transportation solutions for Latin American governments. In 2009, Tony advised 19-time Grammy winner, Juanes, to organize the Peace Without Borders concert in Havana that attracted 1.2 million Cubans, the largest independently organized event in Cuba since 1959 (Top 10 largest concerts in the World). In 2012 Tony was selected to participate in the Miami Fellows initiative, a leadership development program hosted by the Miami Foundation and sponsored by the Knight Foundation. In 2013 Tony co-founded the Awesome Foundation Miami chapter, a global grant giving organization that awards $1,000 grants to innovative community initiatives and organizations.
Jose Ignacio Rasco is the CEO & Founder at Dot Health. He is also the Co-Founder & Chief Builder at BUILDING.co, a collaborative workspace designed for growing companies and individuals serving the tech ecosystem. Jose is also the Managing Director at STRAAT, an investment company focused on both real and virtual property.
Jose currently serves on the board of trustees at Roots of Hope. As an entrepreneur with a deep passion for Cuba, his advise and mentorship on StartUp Cuba, has been instrumental since joining the board. Jose earned a B.S. in Economics - Accounting & Real Estate from The Wharton School, and a Master in Taxation from Florida International University.
Melissa Medina is EVP at the Technology Foundation of the Americas (TFA) & eMerge Americas. TFA’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for establishing Miami as the tech hub of the Americas in order to propel innovation and investment in South Florida & Latin America. In May 2014, Melissa helped lead the inaugural annual eMerge Americas conference, a global technology conference held in Miami. In 2011, Medina became President of the Medina Family Foundation (MFF), driven by a mission to support local initiatives that focus on mentoring children and empowering families.
Melissa attended the University of FL and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in Real Estate & Urban Analysis & Master’s in International Business. Melissa is a Board member of Endeavor Miami, Miami Children's Museum, and Raices de Esperanza. Melissa is passionate about transforming Miami into a technology hub for the Americas, as well as supporting Miami-based non-profits who seek to empower tomorrow's leaders.
Over the last fifty-plus years, Cubans on the island have been denied some of their most fundamental human rights. Over the last decade, we have seen young Cubans emerge as agents of change, breaking away from the censorship and reclaiming their rights and identities.
In Cuba, the everyday gadgets we often take for granted are more than cool accessories; they represent a means for personal empowerment. In a country where less than 5% of the population has Internet access, youth in Cuba are using cellphones to connect with each other and the outside world, and exchange flash drives share music, information, books, and other media like never before. Unfortunately, technology and access to the Internet are prohibitively expensive for most Cubans. That’s why we launched Tech4Cuba - to provide youth in Cuba the hardware they need to boost their connectivity by gathering new, used, and broken phones, flash drives, laptops, and tablets. Hardware is refurbished and sent directly to youth on the island.
In recent years, thousands of Cubans have launched their own small businesses, fueled by the hope of bettering their lives and achieving greater personal autonomy. Starting your own business is particularly challenging in Cuba, where fundamental elements of an entrepreneurial ecosystem are developing slowly. To support Cuban youth who aspire build a better Cuba through their own businesses we created StartUp Cuba. By mobilizing young people around the world to support training and immersive learning programs, together we are developing a new generation of socially conscious entrepreneurs. We are building a movement! Will you join us?
Since 2003, Roots of Hope has sponsored leadership summits at various academic forums, including Harvard University, Georgetown University, Princeton University, The University of Miami, and Boston College.
Our summits encourage students and young professionals to explore Cuba’s complex reality by interacting with distinguished scholars, activists, and leaders. By educating ourselves, embracing debate and reaching out to our counterparts on the island, we aim to define the role of youth in promoting a better future for Cuba. These conferences have fostered the development of national student and young professional networks to promote further activities on a local and regional level.
