Jessica Ruano is the Executive Director of Tierra Vida, Inc., a nonprofit organization committed to empowering individuals and families, with a special focus on youth. Tierra Vida facilitates access to essential resources and support services that strengthen historically marginalized communities.
This Puerto Rican entrepreneur began planning the organization with her son, Benjamín Figueroa Medina, some time ago. After suffering a stroke last year, she focused on making her dream a reality. Tierra Vida officially launched in January of this year.
With a master’s degree in educational leadership and over a decade of experience in education and social services, Jessica feels deep empathy not only for the Puerto Rican community, but for all Latinos—especially Central Americans—because she understands the long and dangerous journey they undertake to reach the United States. “I’m proud to help them because they don’t have the same advantages as those citizens have,” she emphasizes. Tierra Vida is currently supporting between 20 and 25 families from Guatemala and Honduras, among other nationalities.
Her organization provides essential resources, financial assistance, and opportunities to help families, particularly single mothers, because she knows from personal experience how important it is to have access to resources and education as a single mom. “I feel great satisfaction every time I can do something for them,” she says.
Tierra Vida’s services—Tierra Connect, Roots of Support, and Vida&Smile—focus on youth empowerment, basic needs support, and cultural preservation rooted in the legacy of the Taíno people. The organization offers programs such as food and resource distribution, mentoring, youth education, and health services.
Through collaborations with local businesses, organizations, and individual donors, Tierra Vida is building a support network to address families’ critical needs and empower the next generation.
To access the organization’s programs, visit tierravidanonprofit.org and go to the “intake” section, available in both English and Spanish, to register.
“At the end of the tunnel, there will always be a light to keep moving forward—for our children, first,” concludes Jessica Ruano, a true woman of impact.