by Lucy Crivelli Frey
Every year during Hispanic Heritage Month, I reflect on the women who inspire me, the ones who carry our culture, our values, and our determination into spaces where representation is still too rare. This year, I am honored to highlight Lorena of S&P Landscape, whose story embodies what it means to build with corazón.
S&P Landscape is more than a business. It is a family legacy that began with Pablo, Lorena’s father-in-law. Years ago, Pablo planted the seeds of this company with his own hands, fueled by sacrifice and hard work. Like so many immigrant fathers, his dream was never about himself alone, it was about creating something his children and grandchildren could inherit, nurture, and grow into something greater even after he’s been gone.
Today, that dream lives on. Lorena and her husband, Sal, have taken Pablo’s vision and are carrying it into the next generation. While the work in the field continues, Lorena has stepped up to lead the branding, marketing, partnerships, and community-facing side of the business. She is pushing the family name forward, making sure that the sacrifices Pablo made become the fruits his family can finally enjoy.
Ese sacrificio no fue en vano.
What makes Lorena’s story even more powerful is the way she wears all her hats with pride; mother, wife, daughter, entrepreneur, and community leader in Inglewood. She pours into her family with the same commitment she pours into her business and her community. Her ability to balance those roles with grace and determination is a testament to her strength and vision as a Latina leader.
Her spirit of building community extends beyond landscaping. Through Urbano Wood, she created a way to connect with others during the pandemic through plants and plant care. Out of her backyard grew a movement. Neighbors, friends, and strangers finding peace, inspiration, and connection through greenery. What began as a small seed has now blossomed into pop-ups, events, and collaborations, with even more to come from S&P x Urbano Wood.
In our culture, the land has always been sacred. It feeds us, grounds us, and gathers us. Lorena carries that tradition forward, transforming yards and gardens into places where families can thrive and memories can take root. But what she’s truly planting is legacy; one that her children, and their children, will continue to grow.
This month, I want to honor Lorena not only for her work, but for her heart. Supporting her business means more than investing in landscaping, it means investing in a family, in a community, and in a future. When you support S&P Landscape, you’re also supporting her children, the next generation of S&P, and ensuring that Pablo’s dream continues to bear fruit.
To Lorena, thank you for reminding us that growth starts from within, and when we lead with culture and tradition we can transform not only the spaces around us, but the future for our community. Gracias.
by Lucy Crivelli Frey
Some people dream of the spotlight, while others carry it with them. Carolla Parmejano has been doing the latter for more than twenty years, not just on stage and on screen, but in the way she lives, the communities she uplifts, and the message she stands behind. Carolla has always chased purpose, not glamor. As a young girl, she dreamed of becoming a superhero. That dream never left. While her path led her to acting, to award-winning roles and international recognition, she never stopped asking herself the hard questions: Why do I want the microphone? What message do I want to leave behind when I have people’s attention?
Her answers came through lived experience, red carpets, long hours training in archery and wire work, late nights navigating industry expectations, and also through the simple act of thrift. When she could not afford a new designer dress for every premiere, she turned to secondhand shops. What began as survival became her statement. Repeating outfits, reworking vintage pieces, and co-founding Love for Upcycling, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainability, turned necessity into a movement. Carolla had found her way of saving the world, one dress, one message, one community at a time.
To describe Carolla as just an actress would be to miss the full picture. She is also an activist, an entrepreneur, a producer, a director, and above all, a bridge-builder. Her work with We the Latin , another non-profit she also co-founded, reflects that perfectly. A platform created to affirm Brazilian identity within the larger Latin community, offering a home for voices that too often have been left on the margins. She doesn’t shy away from how difficult it has been to balance these identities. Instead, she treats each with precision. “When I’m networking as an actress, that’s who I am. When I’m representing Love for Upcycling, I speak from that place. When it’s We the Latin, I open doors and listen to people’s stories.”
It’s this ability to compartmentalize with clarity, while still weaving everything into the larger fabric of her purpose, that makes her journey so rare.
Even in her latest project as an actress, the Lifetime/Amazon feature film, “Secrets of an Influencer,” Carolla leans into storytelling as a vehicle for impact. Playing Jacqueline, a complicated character making bold and dangerous choices for her family, she found herself tapping into darker emotions. At the core, she saw the work as a way to sound an alarm for parents navigating the digital age. “Even though I’m representing an evil character, I am giving a message,” she explained. That is the throughline of her career: to perform, yes, but always to serve.
When asked about legacy, Carolla doesn’t speak about accolades or awards. Instead, she points to alignment: doing what wakes you up in the morning, what resonates with your soul, even if it takes years to discover. “Don’t rush,” she advises anyone looking for their purpose or starting their career.
“You’re not going to find your why in a book or in a video. You’ll find it in your own time, in your own moment. And when it comes, that’s when you’ll know what you came here to do.”
Carolla’s story is not about being just one thing, it’s about being everything she loves, without apology. Actress, activist, entrepreneur, community-builder, Latina. All of these things together are what make Carolla Parmejano, and it’s that wholeness truly inspired me. And if the universe is listening, don’t be surprised if the next chapter has her in a cape, finally landing that superhero role she dreamed about as a little girl. After all, she’s been playing one in real life all along.
Follow Carolla’s journey: @carollaparmejanoofficial
