Stratford Man Named Among Top 50 Most Influential Latinos in CT

This is a press release.

As a start to the new year, lifelong Stratford resident, Samuel Diaz III, has been recognized by the Latinos United for Professional Advancement (LUPA) to be among the Top 50 Most Influential Latinos in the state of Connecticut.

The honor comes for his extensive work with Southwest Community Health Center and its promotion of barrier-free access to health services, and his promotion of music education and culture as a member of various Salsa bands throughout the tri-state. 

And, most notably, his service as a member of the United States Martial Arts Team, which he has since used to help influence and teach the youth of Stratford about overcoming adversity and most recently a program focused on Anti-Bullying and sexual assault prevention through his Stratford-based karate school, Stratford Shotokan Karate.

“It is a tremendous honor to be included amongst such seasoned and polished professionals. I am truly humbled by this recognition,” said Diaz. “The work that is being done across Connecticut is inspirational, and to hear the stories of my fellow recipients is exciting. Together, we will all make a great impact in the future.”

Samuel is a 2004 graduate of Bunnell High School and proceeded to attain a bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut State University in International Business and a master’s degree from Quinnipiac University in Interactive Communications.

It was with those degrees that Samuel made his path as a young professional, focusing on helping non-profits and small business grow their brand and fill in the gaps in communication with their consumers.

Samuel quickly made a home at Southwest Community Health Center and has focused on utilizing various marketing strategies to help improve the access to health care for those most in need across Fairfield County.

For the past three years LUPA has recognized the 50 most influential Latinos in Connecticut through its annual list. The recognized individuals are nominated by their peers and submitted to vote by other Latinos in the state.

At the age of 27, Samuel is the youngest recipient to be included on this installment of the “50 Most Influential Latinos,” which included executives, legislative leaders, activist and more. LUPA announced the list the first week of January.

About Southwest Community Health Center

Southwest Community Health Center continually strives to improve the scope and quality of services offered to meet the unique needs of the Bridgeport communities they serve.

In addition to a comprehensive range of primary medical, dental and behavioral health services, SWCHC provides community outreach, health education/disease prevention programs, and entitlement enrollment services.

The Health Center’s physicians are Board Certified and have privileges at local hospitals, and provide after hours coverage to ensure continuity of care. Southwest provided 107, 351 visits serving 18,887 unduplicated clients in the calendar year 2010.

Continuing its tradition of excellence, SWCHC earned full accreditation from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (Joint Commission) for the fourth time in 2009. To learn more, visit www.swchc.org or you can “like” our page on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.