Local Elgin nonprofit leverages AI at their annual Techsgiving luncheon

The Elgin Hispanic Network hosted their annual Thanksgiving luncheon for a record crowd at Villa Olivia in Bartlett on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

The keynote speaker was Anand Kumar, a seasoned leader in AI-driven solutions, cloud technology, and cybersecurity, and the executive vice president of global sales and go-to-market for healthcare and life sciences at Intuitive Cloud.

The title “Techsgiving” and all videos shown throughout the luncheon were AI-generated in keeping with this year’s technology theme.

Four adult college students received scholarships to further their education. The four recipients were: Jonathan Aguinaga, Aolany Campuzano, Valeria Hernandez, and Sirleine Machicado-Molina, all students at Elgin Community College.

The Organization of the Year Award went to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

The Individual of the Year Award went to Mari Vazquez of Thrive Traveling.

The Elgin Hispanic Network is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that has been in existence since 1987 and continues to grow. Membership consists of over 115 businesses and nonprofits and 281 individuals that serve the Hispanic community in the greater Elgin area. The network encompasses many sectors of our community from social services, government, health care, and education to private businesses. Its mission is to positively impact the Hispanic community by providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas, information and resources and annually awards high school and adult educational scholarships.