This week, we present Dreyker, another member of the founding team of Utility Avenue.

My name is Dreyker.

Nobody but my father knew where my name came from. He wrote it down on the top of a match pack the day I was born. I love it, though. I’m from a brave Cuban city called Bayamo. I grew up surrounded by family love. My parents taught me how sharing what I’ve got could make me a good human being. I really learned that from them at a young age.

When I was a little boy, I was always eager to know how things work or function (I still am). I was always in trouble because my toys’ lifetime was very short. As I was getting older, I felt the need to change things, make them better, easier to use, and make them affordable for everyone.

I started sketching things I thought needed improvement, and eventually, I became what I am today: a designer.

Alexander Sanchez

My name is Alexander Sanchez Silva (tongue-in-cheek names when it comes to signing my initials).

I was born and raised in Cuba. I lived there until I was old and wise enough to understand that fulfilling dreams there was next to impossible. One day, I looked 90 miles up north, where pursuing happiness was licit, inspiring, and possible. Like many professionals of my generation, I realized that all my hard work, university titles, and commitments weren’t enough to excel in life, let alone to use my full potential.

Then, as life was at full speed, the energy steaming up and my mind about to burst, I made the timely decision to plow the ocean and sail to my future.

My friends and I, literally in the same boat, set sail one night over 12 years ago en-route to the US. All I had with me was a backpack full of dreams (and some Cuban cigars & rum) and the courage to either make it and start over or die trying. Thankfully, after six nerve-racking days and five stormy nights, we ran ashore, right here in Miami.

In my biography More than 90 Miles, I tell it all about our adventure.

Since then, I’ve been working hard to make all my dreams come true. Some of them have unfolded, some have mutated, and some are still in the making. It has been quite an exciting ride filled with surprises, lessons, setbacks, emotions, experiences, gratitude, anger, empathy, and love.

For me, helping others has been of great importance. When you help people get ahead, you’re fueling your best YOU. The influence is permanent. That’s why this down-to-earth project, Utility Avenue, has me so hooked up.

 

 

I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care
Lou Holtz

Odette Fernandez Lopez

 

I am Odette Fernandez Lopez. Me in a nutshell? I am a portrait photographer, translator, dreamer, doer. All those paths led me here.

I was born in Russia, from Cuban parents. I lived most of my life in Cuba and moved to the States after a too-brief, but too happy, stay in Canada. Never thought I would end up living here, but here I am.

My family and my friends are my biggest treasures. Today, I’m strong because my mom raised me. I’m resilient because my sister looks up to me, and I must deserve it. They are the family Life gave me, but we’re also best friends. That is such an incredible gift! And my friends make me be a better person.

My grampa used to say that knowledge takes no space, and that’s my mantra.

I believe in the power of self-education. I like to learn something new every single day and inspire people to be their best selves. That’s my biggest drive in life: to inspire and be inspired.

Oh, and I have a severe case of wanderlust!

I can unequivocally say that I am becoming the woman I have always wanted to be. All it takes is dedication, consistency, and long nights. After all, sleeping is overrated.

I am just kidding.

Not.

I just want to live passionately, focusing on what makes me sing inside. Photography and Utility Avenue are my passions. Photography feeds my artistic soul because I like documenting life as it unfolds, and UA has shaped me into a more committed, consistent, and disciplined person.

I genuinely believe Utility Avenue is the beginning of an era. It will change the lives of many, as it has changed mine.

I can’t wait to see where life takes me.

In the end, what matters is the lives we touch.

www.odettephotoart.com

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Ana Madalys Cedeño

Last week, we presented Armando Milanés, one of our co-founders. This week, it’s Ana Madalys Cedeño’s turn.

My name is Ana Madalys Cedeño Reyes.

I was born in Cuba.

Ana means “beneficent, compassionate, full of grace.” Kindness and sweetness always made me very popular. I can not complain because I made the best friends I could ever have.

My parents had me baptized at age 12 because they thought I would decide what to believe once I was ready. I come from a humble family where everyone has a passion for health and for healing the sick. I used to play doctor since I was a little girl. When I grew up, I decided to become a doctor and graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 2006.

But it’s never too late to start again and reinvent yourself. Being an entrepreneur is not about age. In each stage of life, we can rediscover different opportunities to do new things to love. That’s when the idea of ​​being part of Utility Avenue came to my life. It is such an inspiring project, led by young people: full of values and willing to improve the lives of many.

Today’s Valentine’s Day and, do you know what is most important to me? LOVE! Without it, we are nobody. I love life, and above all, Family!

Thanks for allowing me to share a little bit about me with you.

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Utility Avenue’s team members are remarkable. We are lucky to have some of the most incredible minds. This week, we are presenting Armando Milanés.

These are his words.

 

My name is Armando Milanés, but everyone calls me Mandy.

I love natural spaces: coasts, mountains, and fields. I am also attracted to human kindness, friendship, affection, and respect for life.

The truth is, I have always been enthusiastic about learning. When I was 12 years old, I learned how to work hard and consistently to achieve a dream, although I didn’t learn my best life lessons until later.

Time passes by. However, for me, something failed in those early years.

That’s why, when I look at a child or a young person, I feel inclined to help. I don’t want them to go through these mistakes. Every day, adults neglect essential aspects of their learning. We are too busy or, perhaps, we have the perception that we are educating them well. Because of this, it might take them years to master lessons they could learn today. The reality is that few things are as important as our responsibility for the proper guidance of our children.

At Utility Avenue, one of the most important principles is that what is important always remains important. This principle aligns with the project’s vision of positively and significantly impacting others. At Utility Avenue, we want to foster better management of people’s time, as well as an increase in their quality of life.

I hope that thousands of people from all over the world will find in Utility Avenue a genuine opportunity for development.

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Norge Matos

 

I am Norge Matos.

My name is European, but I was born in the mountains of Cuba, far away from any city. I fell in love with the sky full of stars. I fell in love with life without stress. But most of all, I fell in love with my parents, who taught me respect and compassion for everyone, equally. Those were times when the neighbors were like family, and the boys played ball in the street like brothers.

I am a lucky guy: I have many friends – some already elderly, the wisest – for whom I thank God. Some friends failed, and I forgave them. Several have forgiven me for my mistakes. Our imperfection needs second chances: it is one of the keys to grow and be better.

A man reaps what he sows. That is why I try to show love, hope, and opportunities.

I dream that those who come later will receive a better world and do the same.

But dreams are conquered with hard work: Utility Avenue is just part of that journey.

Norge Matos’ contact details:

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I love my job!

It is possible to love your job after being disappointed by unfulfilling jobs and uninspiring bosses.

I am the living proof.

The secret is… drumroll… finding the right team, finding the right tribe.

“The goal of life is not to have our lives mean something to ourselves.

The goal of life is to have our lives mean something to others.”
Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek also says that to succeed in life, we need people who believe what we believe.

I might add that, to succeed in life, we need people who believe in us when we fail to believe in ourselves. They are the ones that give you the strength to keep on keeping on.

Often, it is hard to find people with whom you LOVE to work with. Jobs are just the means to a paycheck, but finding real joy and passion in a project is rare.

I have been incredibly lucky to find a team that I can proudly call my “tribe”. Working late has become joyful because we believe in our vision and our mission, and we believe in each other.

They have inspired me since the beginning.

So much.

They inspire me to learn and to improve myself every single day.

Falling in love with work is a rare gift.

We believe in the power of hard work and determination, and we believe in teamwork because, as Helen Keller said: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

We are dreamers, but we are also doers. Our project will provide the opportunity to change your life and the life of the ones close to you.

That is our goal as a team, and that is our vision.

Our project means the opportunity to create a better future.

We #Believe in Utility Avenue.

Do you?