Meet Scarlett Uribe | 2024 Latin Sol Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scarlett Uribe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scarlett, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
What was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The Latin Sol Festival is a 3 day event that is hosted at ASU. Each year, a different student is chosen to direct this event. I applied the same day that the application opened up. By then I had only been dancing for about a year, but I knew I wanted to be as involved as possible. The 2023 Latin Sol Festival was absolutely amazing, but I wanted to see just how much farther I could push it.

Here is an article featured on ASU News that gives more insights: https://news.asu.edu/20240311-arts-humanities-and-education-new-sense-energy-studentrun-latin-sol-salsa-dance-festival

What’s one thing about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
I don’t think people realize just how many layers there are to dance. Yes it’s cool to watch, but you don’t really learn just how much goes into it until you’re a part of the dance world. The choreography, the history, the social implications and expectations are so complex. There’s groups within groups and so much that even I don’t know about. Beyond the choreography and the physical movement, dance has played a huge part in creating social change. The history of Salsa is especially complex because it is a fusion of so many different dance styles as well as the cultural implications.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?
I’m all about risk. I believe that complacency is the biggest danger to creativity. I’ve definitely taken a lot of risks in my life, whether that be in my education, my career or my personal life. I continue to do so because I’ve seen the greatest rewards come from the greatest risks I take.

Other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The single most important decision I made that I believe has contributed to my success is to not limit myself to the confines of whatever box is placed before me. There really is no limits on what I can do if I’m willing to go out of my comfort zone and ask people for their help. I’ve learned a beautiful community really does come together through shared passions and experiences.

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?
My team. The Latin Sol Committee I had was the biggest support I had and because I could count on them to accomplish their assignments, I was able to work on extra projects that would elevate the event even further. Each team member gave their all and brought such a diverse array of talents and skills that benefited the Festival and our efforts. They all took their assignments and responsibilities seriously and collaborated extensively to bring about the best possible event for our community. I couldn’t have done any of this without them.

What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The decision of what to do next with my life is always present and always changing. This makes it especially difficult to actually make a decision. My habits, hobbies, passions and social circles shift every couple years. And deciding what I want to dedicate the next few years of my life to was been difficult. I want to make sure it’s meaningful and positively impacting people around me.

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?
My balance has changed dramatically over the last few years. The classes I was taking in college really determined how much time I could dedicate to other purists and passions. My education has always been my priority, but when the opportunity to direct the Latin Sol Festival, I really had to crack down on how I managed my time. I was a full time student taking over 21 credits, an active part of a dance company and working part time. I had to learn how to especially focus on my schooling so that I could dedicate every spare second to the development of the Latin Sol Festival.

Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? What does it mean to you / what do you like about it?
“People make time for the things they want.” This has always been a driving quote for me. It’s served as a reminder that I really can’t make excuses for myself when it comes to work, projects and even people. Either I want to do it and will. Or I don’t and I won’t. I like that it’s a reminder to not take things so personally.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
I’ve always been artistically inclined. When I was preparing to graduate high school and start college, I really struggled with finding what degree I would pursue. Unfortunately, the educational hierarchy in the United States places creativity and the arts at the bottom, and I didn’t think I could realistically find a creative career that could provide “a living”. That’s when I found graphic design. I wasn’t until I was taking classes at ASU that I realized just how much planning and time it takes to design anything and everything. I began to get involved with as much as I could to find exactly what kind of design I wanted to specialize in. As a result I discovered that I loved designing experiences that make space for people to come together and foster community. And that in itself can require design skills in other specific aspects, including, graphic, web, merch, flyer design and so much more. Having the freedom to artistically explore and create isn’t even work to me, it’s passion.

What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to remember about you?
If we’re talking about the Latin Sol Festival specifically, I want the 2024 year to be remembered as memorable, exhilarating, unique and impactful. I this to be the year that marks when it was taken to the next level. It was the year that so many new things were tried for the first time including the Salsa Olympics, the Pop Up Museum, multilingual outreach, podcast collaborations, the Cultural Celebration, variety in merch options. I hope the 2024 Latin Sol Committee set the foundation and standard that all future festivals will continue to grow exponentially.
If we’re talking about me, I want to be remembered as passionate. I gave this festival my heart, all my time, dedication, and efforts. I want to be remembered as fair dinkum (an Australian slang term used to express unquestionably good or genuine). And also appreciative. While I was in a leadership position, I worked alongside my team as one of them because I saw the value in their participation and recognized each of their unique talents and skill that dramatically increased the productivity and quality of the Latin Sol Festival.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The arts that I pursue take many forms. I’m heavily involved in a local dance company which an artistic form of expression. I design events, which creates experiences for others. In addition I also currently work with a local non profit called BestLife Leadership Development where I can use my graphic and visual design skills to further the mission of empowering young adults for life long success.

But within everything I do, I am driven by passion. By creating some form of positive impact with those I come in contact with. I am driven by the idea that we can do more together and whenever I can, I include tid bits and find influence in my Hispanic heritage.

I hasn’t been easy to get to where I am today. It’s taken a lot of sacrifice, dedication, hard work and late hours. I take whatever opportunity to learn from others and find mentorship along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is my jam! I’m currently working on a project to launch a travel boutique as well as a design boutique where I’ll offer online design services as well as budget travel consultations. There’s a huge market for travel right now, but not too many individuals or businesses specialize in helping facilitate budget travel.

Places to eat:
Taco Boys | Tempe

Pho 43 | Phoenix

Joe’s Real BBQ | Gilbert

Mexi Q | Gilbert

O.S.H.O | Gilbert

Cafe Boa | Tempe

Phoenician Cafe | Tempe

Things to do:
PHX Art Museum | Phx

ASU Art Museum | Tempe

Hike A Mountain | Tempe

Latin Night at the Duce | Phx

Tempe Improv | Tempe

Salt River Tubing

ClimbMax Rock Gym | Tempe

Places to Visit:
Sedona
Payson
Flagstaff
Tucson

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my Latin Sol Committee and all the guest artists who came together to make this event possible. They worked so hard and share their skills, talents and expertise so selflessly with everyone they came in contact with.

Website: https://www.latinsolfestival.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinsolfestival/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@latinsoldancefestival2830

Other: https://www.instagram.com/readysetjet__/

Image Credits
Abby Wilt

Benjamin Adelberg