Selina Pagan still laughs at the memories that defined her childhood, from family house parties on Cleveland’s East Side to songs her godfather would sing to her. But it was those early memories of family, community and culture that ultimately shaped the Cleveland State University graduate’s career path. 

Pagan’s journey highlights her evolution from student to leader that is shaped by hands-on experience, risk-taking and a drive to create meaningful change. Today, Pagan, leads the Young Latino Network (YLN) as its first executive director. 

Pagan’s development to nonprofit leadership began long before she enrolled at Cleveland State University.

Raised largely by her godparents, Pagan grew up deeply connected to her church community at La Sagrada Familia and to the neighborhoods around her. Whether cooking or singing together, Pagan discovered deep enjoyment in strengthening her connection to her Puerto Rican heritage. 

“Till this day, my madrina will ask me if I want her to make me harina de maíz,” Pagan, 30, said. 

Harina de maíz serves as a staple dish that reflects Puerto Rico’s agricultural heritage. It often involves communal cooking helping to foster social bonds while symbolizing unity and tradition. 

After attending Cleveland Public Schools through eighth grade, Pagan enrolled at Saint Martin De Porres High School, where the school’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) introduced her to professional environments at an early age. 

Her first placement at a financial firm downtown was a culture shock. 

“I didn’t know what a corporate environment looked like,” Pagan said. “I grew up in my dad’s jewelry store, so everything was different.” 

Eventually, she transferred to a nonprofit placement with International Partners in Mission (IPM), an organization focused on international development and community partnerships. This experience proved to be transformative. 

During her sophomore year of high school, Pagan traveled to El Salvador through the organization, learning about the country’s history and grassroots community projects. 

“That’s when the bug kicked in,” she said. “I understood the impact of that work.” 

In 2014, Pagan graduated from Saint Martin and enrolled at Cleveland State University. Like many first-generation college students, she entered without a clear academic direction. 

While initially undecided, the courses within Cleveland State’s Levin College of Public Affairs and Education helped her discover a passion for urban studies and economic development. She later double majored in economic development, urban studies and public management, graduating in 2018. 

While studying at CSU, Pagan balanced classes with a full-time work schedule, an experience that shaped how she approached both school and her career. 

“I was a commuter and I was working all the time,” she said. “The point of school, for me, was to get my degree.” 

Pagan built her professional experience through jobs in the nonprofit sector, including work with the Hispanic Alliance. 

Her connections at Cleveland State became long-term professional relationships.

“Levin grads all end up in the community development space,” she said. “We still see each other around the city.” 

After graduating from CSU in 2018 and returning with IPM, Pagan later joined the Metro West Community Development Organization. There, she worked in economic development, assisting small businesses in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton and Stockyards neighborhoods. 

Her role involved helping entrepreneurs access resources and build financial stability — work that became even more urgent once the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

“We were problem solving during a global pandemic,” she said. 

Many business owners struggled to qualify for federal relief programs such as Paycheck Protection Program loans because they lacked formal accounting systems or documentation, she explained. 

Despite the challenges, the experience strengthened Pagan’s commitment to grassroots economic development and advocacy. At the same time, she remained active with the Young Latino Network (YLN), a Cleveland-based organization founded in 2002 to empower the next generation of Latine leaders. 

Pagan joined the organization's board in 2017 while still working in community development. 

During the coronavirus pandemic, YLN volunteers organized neighborhood caravans distributing COVID-19 testing information and vote-by-mail applications to residents across the region. The group also launched Avanzamos Unidos in 2020, a campaign aimed at expanding Latino voter participation in Ohio.
 

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In 2021, Pagan stepped down from the board to become YLN’s first executive director, a decision that came with significant uncertainty. 

“There was only enough money for maybe half a year of salary,” she said. “But I was willing to take the risk.” 

Since then, Pagan has pioneered to transform the organization from an all-volunteer effort into a growing nonprofit with multiple staff members and expanded programming. Today, YLN employs several Latine individuals that share a passion for cultivating cultural education and civic engagement. 

One program, Somos Cuyahoga, engages residents through door-to-door outreach, community dinners and neighborhood events designed to build trust and participation in local civic life. 

Instead of contacting residents only during election seasons, Pagan said the organization focuses on year-round relationship building. “People have other needs besides just voting,” she said. “We want to build relationships first.”

Under her leadership, YLN also sponsored events that celebrate diversity and inclusion, such as a local LGBTQ+ Latine-cast drag show at a local Puerto Rican restaurant, Rincon Criollo in June 2025.                                       

Another initiative, Raices, creates space for community members to attend national gatherings such as GreenLatinos Summit, which Pagan said has already inspired local environmental initiatives led by Latina volunteers in Cleveland. YLN plans to launch heritage Spanish classes in April 2026 aimed at U.S-born Latine residents who grew up around Spanish but want to strengthen their fluency in supportive learning environments. 

“A lot of families stopped teaching Spanish because of survival,” Pagan said. “Now we’re reclaiming that.” 

Although YLN has grown rapidly under her leadership, Pagan said the role has required constant learning and adaptability. Over time, she helped to build the nonprofit’s infrastructure including a strategic plan to guide the organization’s long-term growth. 

Still, nonprofit leadership can feel isolating. 

“Leadership can feel very lonely,” she said. 

When she does have free time, Pagan enjoys yoga, cooking, and listening to music. She also plays dominoes with her partner and friends and occasionally travels to Puerto Rico. 

But her focus remains on building stronger community networks in Cleveland.

“I have circles of families now,” Pagan said. “And that’s really powerful.”

Looking back, she credits Cleveland State University with helping her to find the field that eventually shaped her career. The university’s focus on urban policy and community development introduced her to the systems that influence neighborhoods and local economies — knowledge she now applies daily in her work. 

For Pagan, the path from CSU student to nonprofit leader reflects both persistence and community support. 

“If we don’t do it," she said, "who is going to do it?”