As an ‘optimism advocate,’ I was immediately drawn to Jay Rosenzweig’s optimistic outlook on diversity and gender equality. In the face of statistical imbalance found in the 16th annual Rosenzweig Report, Jay opts to point out things like ‘the good news is the number has doubled’ and that he’ll keep publishing as long as it takes to ‘work myself out of a job.’ He always sees the glass half full. Willing a bright future, instead of wallowing in “what is now,’ is a value needed to see humanity as a whole, thrive. I faced great adversity integrating myself into the workplace after a large economy crash and it was my positive perspective of the future that allowed me to actualize my dreams. Optimism helps create change.

–	Erika De La Cruz, Mexican American Media Personality, Best Selling Author and founder of Passionista, a female facing brand fostering a lifestyle of personal power