The Miami Lakes Women of Distinction Class of 2026 are many things: accomplished professionals, good citizens, mothers and in some cases, cancer warriors.
They represent the best of Miami Lakes, and the town honored them during a luncheon on March 14 at town hall.
“Today as we celebrate the amazing women in this room, I hope that we continue to inspire each other, encourage one another and never underestimate the power each one of us holds to make a difference,” said keynote speaker Amy Cao, founding member and managing partner of Vicky Bakery and Vicky Enterprises. “Because strong women just don’t build successful lives, they build opportunity, they build communities and they build the future.”
Friends and relatives nominated the honorees and described them this way, in part:
Marcy Grosso, Arts Category. Her vibrant paintings of figures and landscapes were hung in a show at Miami Lakes Town Hall in March. Inspired by Impressionist masters, she has shown her work in prestigious regional shows.
Helen C. Costa, Business Category. An attorney since 1994 who for the past decade has focused her practice on divorce and family law, Costa is a trusted counsel who is bilingual and provides caring guidance for clients during the most difficult times in their lives.
Erica Massard Galicia, Health Services Category. A licensed Occupational Therapist and Certified Lymphatic Therapist, Massard Galicia has channeled her experience with breast cancer to care for clients during their recovery. She formed a non-profit, Saving Our Sisterhood, to give free mammograms and other services and raise funds for research.
Eileen López Tomé, Government Category. A member of the federal Senior Executive Service, López Tomé is district director in the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate. An attorney, she is also a breast cancer survivor and a certified professional coach to survivors and organizations, a service she gives for free.
Mylene Casamayor, Education Category. She has dedicated three decades to her calling: teaching at Immaculate Conception Catholic School. Now instructing the children of her former students, she is known for the patience, kindness and faith she brings to the classroom. She was unable to attend for personal reasons.
Jesenia “Jessy” Orellana, Volunteer Category. A parent of a child with special needs, Orellana has served on the Special Needs Advisory Board and volunteered with: United Cerebral Palsy; as her church treasurer and a Sunday School teacher and has provided food and clothing to homeless people in downtown Miami. She has traveled on mission trips to Nicaragua and around Florida to serve the needy.
“It was an emotional day,” Felicia Salazar, chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee said about the annual celebration. “To me it was the best one.”
Several of the honorees have survived cancer.
“They represented a category, but at the same time they were advocates for women who went through cancer,” Salazar said. “The speakers all talked about how their families got them through it and how they make them who they are. We got standing ovations for each one of them,” she said.
In the first photo:
Women of Distinction Class of 2026, with town council members, from left: attorney and Government honoree Eileen López Tomé; Councilman Steven Herzberg; Volunteer honoree Jesenia “Jessy” Orellana; Vice Mayor Bryan Morera; Arts honoree Marcy Grosso; Councilman Angelo Cuadra Garcia; attorney and Business honoree Helen C. Costa; Councilman Alex Sanchez and Occupational Therapist and Health Services honoree Erica Massard Galicia. Teacher and Education honoree Mylene Casamayor was absent. Photo: Ydalis Navarro/Town of Miami Lakes.