Latina Colombian- American Attorney Volunteers and Mentors
Meet Yineth Sanchez Aslan, GEICO Staff Counsel, Law Offices of George L. Cimballa III and 2021 Hispanic Woman of Distinction.
“Hispanic women, through our words, actions, and demeanor can truly be ambassadors of change. We are the strongest educators of our heritage and can teach the world about the beauty and essence of the Hispanic culture.”
Being a lawyer is more than just having a job in the legal field, according to Yineth. Instead, it is an exceptional platform that allows her to advocate for the voiceless. To this end, Yineth began her career working as a Broward prosecutor representing victims in misdemeanor and felony cases. Today, as a staff counsel attorney for GEICO, she continues to promote the need for diversity and inclusion of minorities in the legal arena.
Yineth, a proud graduate of both of Nova Southeastern University’s undergraduate and law school programs, was recognized twice as Student of the Year, 2011 and 2016, and selected as the Commencement Student Speaker in 2013.
During her career, Yineth has founded several mentorship programs that connect minority students with legal professionals, including the Trial Advocacy Summer Institute (TASI), a program where trial lawyers and judges teach trial skills to law students; and the Interpretation and Translation Assistance Program (ITAP), where bilingual law students assist public interest attorneys with translating and interpreting political asylum interviews for indigent families in English and Spanish.
Yineth is especially passionate about assisting students with a language barrier and has created programs to help with that, including the “Law-and-Order Civics Presentations for ESOL Students” in Miami-Dade County, and the Bilingual Conference, one of her most successful programs in Broward County. The latter is a mentorship program Yineth co-founded as board member of the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association (BCHBA), and in partnership with the Broward County Public Schools. This program opened a dialogue in both English and Spanish with attorneys, judges and students to discuss the challenges of growing up in a bilingual home, and to explore how to utilize their bilingual skills to excel professionally.
Additionally, Yineth’s deep understanding and compassion for people in need has led her to collect over 2000 items for Colombian families, through Fundecruses, a non-profit relief organization. Yineth is also active in numerous volunteer programs including the Latinas in Law, a BCHBA initiative where attorneys explore the challenges minority women face and offer helpful tips and resources for overcoming these difficulties; The Unboxed Series, a program co-founded by BCHBA and T.J. Reddick Bar Association, to promote a dialogue among all communities with a special focus on the Afro-Latinx identity; and the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar, where Yineth serves as a Governor for the 17th Judicial Circuit.
Yineth was born in a small farming town in Colombia. She immigrated to the United States when she was twelve with her mother, Cenis, due to extreme violence which led to the murder of her uncle by paramilitary groups. They were later joined by her brother, Emir, and although none of them spoke English, they have become living proof of the resilient spirit of immigrants. Yineth is married to Berkin, her law school sweetheart; they live in Coconut Creek with their 13-year-old rescue dog, Bailey.
Yineth shares that she enjoys traveling, running and spending her spare, precious time with her family, whom she attributes all her success to. We are proud to announce the 2021 Hispanic Women of Distinction and the Latina Pioneer of the Year. 2021 Honorees:
MELIDA AKITI, VP Ambulatory & Community Service, Memorial Healthcare Systems (Broward)
YINETH SANCHEZ ASLAN – GEICO Staff Counsel, Law offices of George L. Cimballa, III (Broward)
MARIA S. ANTUNA – CEO Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County – (Palm Beach)
ERBI BLANCO-TRUE – Community Development Manager, IBERIABANK, First Horizon Bank (Miami)
THAYRA “Tye” HAUSHEER – Volunteer Community Leader AARP Florida (Miami)
HEIDI ALZATE KAUFMAN – Founder/President Heidi Alzate Consuting (Broward) JACQUELINE LOPEZ-DEVINE – Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer, Trustbridge ( Palm Beach)
JESSICA MARRA – Attorney, Law Firm of Kelley Kronenberg – (Broward)
JAENE MIRANDA – Pres/CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County (Palm Beach)
LUBBY NAVARRO – School Board Member Miami-Dade County/Director of Government Affairs Memorial Healthcare Systems (Miami)
KIMBERLY VALENTIN – Hospice Liasion Amedisys Hospice (Broward)
CAROLINA VEIRA – Dir. Community & Corporate Partnerships IMC Health (Miami)
Juliette Ashley Valle, 2021 Hispanic Woman of Distinction Up & Comer Award
JOIN US on September 10th to honor these fantastic women! Tickets $95 per person, table sponsorship $1500. For more information, sponsorship opportunities and updates visit www.hispanicwomenofdistinction.com or on Facebook.
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