i3 2016 will officially kick-off with a keynote address by Tara Sherry-Torres at the Opening Reception on July 14. The reception will be held at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences and will celebrate the arrival of the new cohort of i3 Scholars. The 2016 cohort includes 25 students from 19 different colleges and universities, ranging from Massachusetts to Guam.
About Tara Sherry-Torres
A Creative Entrepreneur, TEDx Talk speaker, 2014 Pittsburgh Magazine 40 Under 40 recipient and one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s 2015 People to Meet. For over 10 years Tara has been working in community-based organizations in New York City and Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on community organizing and economic development.
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Tara’s passion for people and places led her to pursue her Master in Social Work from The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, concentrating in Community Organizing. In January 2014 Tara founded Cafe Con Leche because she missed her Puerto Rican roots and envisioned creative ways to engage Latinos, educate the Pittsburgh region on the economic power of Latinos and help Pittsburgh companies connect with Latino consumers. Currently, Tara sits on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Land Bank.
Cafe Con Leche is an award winning Latino cultural brand that curates authentic experiences that connect Latinos using media, events, food, art and culture. In 2016, Cafe Con Leche partnered with Most Wanted Fine Art gallery to host Pittsburgh’s first Latino Artist in Residency program along with a Puerto Rican supper club series called Sobremesa. Cafe Con Leche is winner of the 2015 Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group’s Community Development Award.