From Imposter Syndrome to Impact: How Mariana Martindale Is Redefining Leadership for Latina Women

The founder of ALMA Empower Her is turning her lived experience into a movement rooted in belonging, representation, and the colors of one’s voice.

When Mariana Martindale arrived in Philadelphia from Puerto Rico at 10 years old, she didn’t speak English.

She remembers the silence — not just from language barriers, but from feeling like she had to shrink parts of herself to fit in. Even though Puerto Ricans are American citizens, she recalls feeling pressure to silence her Spanish in order to belong.

Today, that once-quiet voice is preparing to earn a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership.

“In less than a year, I’ll have my doctorate,” she says. “And my research centers on belonging and amplifying Latina women’s voices in higher education leadership.”

But Mariana’s journey was never about a title. It was about worthiness.

Raised in a home where education was seen as the key to opportunity, she initially believed a high school diploma would be enough. But after sitting in rooms with leaders and decision-makers, she realized she needed more — not for status, but for voice.

“As a first-generation student, I didn’t see many leaders who looked like me. It was isolating. That’s where ALMA was born.”

ALMA Empower Her — which stands for Advancing Latinas Through Mentorship and Achievement — is Mariana’s answer to that isolation. It’s a platform designed to ensure Latinas do not navigate leadership and higher education alone.

The word alma means soul in Spanish. And that is exactly where the organization was formed — from the late nights doing homework without guidance, from moments of imposter syndrome, and from the determination to keep going anyway.

“I want Latinas to look at me and say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’”

Mariana’s dissertation examines the underrepresentation of Latina women in higher education leadership — a gap she experienced firsthand. As she prepares to defend her research, she notes that her committee does not reflect her lived experience.

“It’s difficult to explain the nuances of our experiences when no one in the room shares them,” she says. “That reality reinforces the very gap my research is addressing.”

But Mariana is not stopping at research.

She is also the author of a bilingual children’s book, The Colors of My Voice. The story follows Aurelia, a timid girl who discovers that every time she speaks, a new color emerges. By the time she steps into leadership, she sees a full rainbow — each experience adding depth and strength.

“I want little Latina girls to wear that armor before the world tells them they don’t belong.”

Beyond academia, Mariana works as a Transition Coordinator in Special Education at Esperanza College — the very institution where her own college journey began. As a mother of a child with special needs, her advocacy for Latino students with disabilities is deeply personal.

Philadelphia, she says, built her backbone.

“This city forces you to grow. You have to step out of complacency and tap into resources. I tapped into all of them.”

If she could speak to her younger self, she wouldn’t offer a roadmap.

She would offer reassurance.

“You are worthy.”

And through ALMA, through her research, through her book, and through her leadership, she is making sure other Latinas hear those words too.

Because, as Mariana puts it, “we belong in places where decisions are made.”