Who We Are
Our Mission:
La Semilla - The Seed is a 501c3 non-profit educational institution which started out focusing on the socioeconomic and educational needs of the Latino community.
Our guiding philosophy is that education opens all doors to success in life. We are an all-volunteer organization devoted to providing a quality education to adult learners of English and Spanish.
We cultivate success!
Since our founding in 2007, our services have become well established and widely known throughout the metropolitan area and beyond.
How we got started:
In 2007, Reverend Oscar Ramos Gallardo and his wife Reverend Juanita Ramos came to New Orleans from Indiana as Methodist missionaries to minister to the needs of the burgeoning Latino community following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Many issues needed attention, including
- Support for mistreated workers
- Educational opportunities for learning English
- Healthcare and social issues
Members of the Congress of Day Laborers at a march in New Orleans
And so La Semilla was born, modeled after a similar program instituted by our Founders at their previous pastorship in Indiana.
The school opened the doors to its first campus with the generous support of First Grace United Methodist Church which was undergoing its own unique, post-Katrina transformation.
Our school now comprises two campuses in the Greater New Orleans Area:
Our Eastbank campus at First Grace UMC in the historic Mid City neighborhood.
Our Westbank campus is hosted by Gretna UMC in the suburban village of Terrytown.
The Latino community of New Orleans Post-Katrina
The Congress of Day Laborers meet at First Grace UMC
An interview with our founder Oscar Ramos Gallardo on National Public Radio (NPR)
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We welcome anyone who is learning English or Spanish.
COME LEARN WITH US!
