Orlando Espinosa

Orlando Espinosa was the first national spokesperson and traveled the entire route of the "On the road: Paying for College Tour" in 2004, from its kick off in Los Angeles, California to its last stop in Miami, Florida. He also participated in 2005 and 2006 during which more than 70 cities were visited.

Espinosa was part of The Sallie Mae Fund's Latino-focused higher education outreach initiatives since The Fund's initial research announcement, and he has been a Paying for College workshop presenter since October 2003.

He has considerable experience helping young adults achieve their higher education dreams. As a leadership advisor for ASPIRA of Florida, Inc., a Latino community-based youth organization, he has counseled individuals and groups on education, presented to public and private business organizations, and traveled nationally to conduct workshops on college admissions and cultural sensitivity. He also served as a liaison between ASPIRA and other education or youth-related organizations.

As a senior recruitment officer for the Miami Institute of Psychology, Espinosa met daily with students as part of his national and international recruitment responsibility. He developed and coordinated various programs to enhance the organization's recruiting goals and represented the organization to multiple audiences.

He first became involved in education outreach through his work in the admissions office at Lee University. There he acted as the liaison between the admissions office, the office of the university president, financial aid office and other departments as part of the A-Force team. He provided the admissions office support in recruiting and educating students and parents.

He traveled internationally with Nova Southeastern University to participate in a cultural exchange program where he taught leadership in Italy in 2005 and in Sweden in 2005 and 2006.

Espinosa has sat on various community boards, including the Miami Dade Public School Advisory Committee. He plays an active role in more than 10 community agencies and works with National Organizations, such as the TRIO Programs, GEAR UP, College Summit, Take Stock in Children and the Urban League, among others. He graduated from Lee University with a bachelor's degree in Communication, and from Nova Southeastern University he obtained a Master in the Field of Education.