José Garcia and his wife Linda García-Perez have long stood as cultural stewards in Omaha’s Latino community. Together, they cofounded the Mexican-American Historical Society of the Midlands and the South Omaha Museum of Immigrant History, institutions that anchor their life’s work in preserving history, advocacy, and cultural memory.

In 2024, Itzel López made history by becoming the first Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Economic Development Council (LEDC), a position born of community trust, strategic vision, and years of service. LEDC is the nonprofit heartbeat of Latino economic empowerment in South Omaha, focused on supporting entrepreneurs, workforce pathways, and inclusive growth.

At an age when most teens are just testing their voice, 17-year-old Alejandra Wells is using hers to change how we talk about youth mental health.

Alejandra’s journey didn’t begin in a boardroom, but in the quiet of a personal struggle. Through her teenage years, she battled anxiety and depression, an internal conflict that sparked the idea behind Hiya, a jewelry brand built on the message: you are not alone.

Born in Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on January 17, 1914, Héctor Pérez García would become a towering figure in American Latino civil rights. Yet, his journey took him across borders and battlefields to places as far as Omaha.

After medical training in Texas, García completed his general internship and surgical internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creighton University, positioning him among the few Mexican-American physicians with direct ties to Nebraska.

For Gina Ponce, leadership has been a lifelong act of service. Over the past three decades, she has become one of Omaha’s most trusted advocates for education, equity, and opportunity, shaping pathways for Latino youth and families to access higher education and professional growth.

For Margartio “Tony” Gonzalez, the story of community begins where his own journey did, inside the walls of the South Omaha Boys & Girls Club. What started as a safe place after school became a lifelong calling. Today, after more than 25 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Gonzalez leads the same site that once helped shape him.

When Lina Traslaviña Stover became Executive Director of the Heartland Workers Center in 2022, she didn’t just step into a leadership role; she stepped into a legacy. Her charge: to amplify the voices of immigrant, marginalized, and frontline workers across Nebraska.

South Omaha wept in January when Dr. James F. Ramirez passed away earlier this year. At age 91, he left behind a legacy deeply rooted in our Latino community. Born on October 17, 1933, Ramirez was the son of immigrant parents and grew up in the packinghouse neighborhoods of South Omaha.

For Ella Ochoa, the rows of crops stretching across South Texas were both classroom and crucible. By age four, she was already working alongside her migrant parents, stooping under the sun to pick vegetables for hours each day. Those early years of labor shaped her understanding of sacrifice, inequity, and resilience, lessons she would later turn into a lifetime of advocacy.

On the walls of South Omaha and across neighborhoods often bypassed by public art, Hugo Alberto Zamorano paints narratives of culture, memory, and identity. As lead artist behind Del Futuro al Pasado and dozens of others, his canvases are conversations between the past and the present, invited into streets, schools, and public spaces.

Abril García is a bridge builder whose vision and grit have shaped Latino media in Nebraska. For over 25 years, she has led Mundo Latino Publications, amplifying stories of community, opportunity, and justice through print and digital platforms.

Early in her career, Abril recognized a gap: Latino communities often lacked access to media that spoke their language, lived their experiences, and advanced their interests. She stepped into that void. Over time, under her leadership, Mundo Latino Network expanded to include Radar, a Hispanic-focused job board initiative, and digital platforms aimed at closing communication gaps in recruitment and employment.

Stephen Johnson “Steve” Turre was born in Omaha, Neb., but his musical soul carries echoes of mariachi, blues, jazz, and ancestral whisperings through conch shells. Today, the 77-year-old stands among the jazz world’s most inventive voices: trombonist, arranger, educator, and pioneer of the seashell as an instrument.

When Gladys Godínez co-founded the high school activist group Nuestro Futuro (Our Future), she was still a teenager, but already, she had begun to reshape narratives in Lexington, Nebraska. Today, she carries that same spirit forward as an organizer, broadcaster, and defender of immigrant and worker rights across rural Nebraska.

Albert Varas currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Center of the Midlands, having first held the role of Executive Director from 2017 to 2020. Since 2021, under his leadership, the organization has expanded strategic partnerships, boosted capacity, and streamlined operations to better serve Omaha’s Latino community.

When Magdalena “Maggie” García first imagined a Latino museum in Omaha, she did so with little more than conviction, elbow grease, and a deep devotion to art. Over thirty years later, El Museo Latino stands as one of the Midwest’s cultural mothers, her legacy writ in wood, canvas, clay, and community.

Registration is closing this week for The Bloc’s 50 Over 50 Nebraska Awards, an annual tribute to Nebraskans whose leadership and service continue to shape the state. The awards dinner is set for Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, 5:30–9:30 p.m. at Embassy Suites by Hilton Downtown Omaha (555 S. 10th St.).

In South Omaha, the name Jacobo’s means more than groceries. It’s tortillas pressed fresh each morning, tamales wrapped in corn husks by hand, and salsa so authentic it carries a lineage. Behind it all were Ramon and Cirina Jacobo, a husband-and-wife team whose faith, grit, and vision built one of the community’s most enduring institutions.

Dr. Athena Ramos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and a leader in community-based health research focused on Latino and immigrant well-being.

Raised in Nebraska, Ramos holds a PhD in International Family & Community Studies from Clemson University, and dual master’s degrees from UNO in Business Administration (MBA) and Urban Studies. Her credentials also include certification as a Public Manager (CPM).

Douglas Vincent “S.A.” Martinez, born October 29, 1969, in Omaha, Neb., has carved out an extraordinary career as the DJ and co-vocalist of 311, a band that has become one of the most successful alternative rock acts of the last three decades. His journey from South Omaha to international stages speaks to both his talent and his relentless commitment to innovation.

Marta F. Nieves, a longtime advocate for equity and inclusion in Nebraska, devoted her career to lifting up Latino voices and building bridges across communities. She passed away on May 28, 2025, at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy of service, mentorship, and civic engagement.