Jennifer Lopez is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the best possible way. The successful star is looking back at her journey during a recent visit to her hometown in the Bronx, meeting with Latina entrepreneurs from her Limitless Labs Grameen American program, who have benefited from JLo’s partnership with Grameen America to help businesswomen achieve their dreams.

The actress met with 20 Latina entrepreneurs, including Bella Shique owner Lissette, and shared her experience after listening to the challenges and successes of the women at the special event.

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“It’s always inspiring to come back here and see what we’re doing together and how people are getting the opportunity to do and show what they can do with their lives. That to me is the biggest, most beautiful thing that you’re affording all of us to have,” she said during the conversation, revealing that she is very proud.

©Michael Simon

Jennifer also highlighted the importance of receiving support and being able to fund a business. “It is a life-changing thing,” she explained. “That obviously hits very close to home. Not just because of what I do but because I was raised by strong Latina women. I know my grandmother would have loved to have her own shop, she was a seamstress, she made beautiful clothes.”

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She continued, “My mother was a Tupperware lady, in her own way she was running her own business. If she could’ve had her own storefront or had enough money to do that, she never even thought that way. She didn’t even have the opportunity to think that way. I think for me that’s why it was a perfect fit for me to join with Grameen and become the national ambassador to really get that word out there so a lot more people can have that opportunity.”