Cuban American creates collegiate collection to celebrate culture and help create scholarships

Los Angeles -- Cuban American Dayana Falcon was the first in her family to go to college and after receiving a full scholarship to the University of Florida (UF) that helped make her dreams come true, Falcon vowed to pay it forward in due time. And today, she's not only in a leadership role at ESPN, in addition her impact extends to helping to create scholarship opportunities for current UF students through Gators Unidos.

Gators Unidos is a one-of-a-kind merchandise and clothing line that celebrates Latino pride, culture and community. From shirts, hats and pins, the collection has encouraged students to stay the course.

"I got a DM on Instagram from a student that was walking through campus that just failed their first exam, looked up, saw our merch line, and she was like I felt like I belonged,' says Falcon. "I bought multiple items, went to the library, studied and aced the tests the next day."

Falcon says they pride themselves in being able to create educational, mentorship and sponsorship experiences. The inspiration behind the idea was born during the pandemic.

"I woke up one day and I was like, I've always wanted to start my own scholarship. I got a full ride to UF I wanted to pay pa'lante to the next generation," says Falcon. "A lot of universities are becoming Hispanic serving institutions. The future is Latino."

The founder also feels that being a "Latino Gator" is a culture within a culture and it has created a sense of family.