TLN Media Group has run the 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians Awards since 2007, honouring more than 170 people in that time. For 2025, the list included Marilyn Solano, founder and CEO of Connect Education.
What the award recognizes
The programme selects from a national field across business, the arts, education, sport, public service and community leadership. It is not a lifetime achievement prize. It recognizes work that is currently changing something.
Connect Education started from a specific problem. Families looking for help with school were being asked to trust their child to whoever happened to be available, with no reliable way to verify who that person was or what they were qualified to teach. Marilyn built the company around certified teachers in good standing with their provincial college of teachers, and around the position that a family's budget or postal code should not determine the quality of help their child can reach.
As a Latina-founded, woman-led organization, Connect Education now operates nationally, connecting families with teachers online, in person and at public libraries.
Connect Education's history with the awards
The company's connection to the programme predates the recognition. Connect Education was a sponsor of the 16th Annual Awards Gala, held on 7 November 2024 at the Columbus Centre in Toronto, a year before Marilyn appeared among the honourees herself.
What it signals to the students we work with
A large share of the children Connect Education supports are growing up in families who arrived in Canada recently, who are doing school in a second language, or who have been told somewhere along the way that extra help was not available to them.
National recognition of a founder from their own community is a different kind of lesson from anything that happens in a tutoring session, and a useful one. It is worth more than the trophy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians Awards?
An annual national recognition programme run by TLN Media Group, launched in 2007, celebrating leadership and achievement within Canada's Hispanic community. More than 170 people have been honoured since it began. Winners are announced at a gala in Toronto.
Who is the founder of Connect Education?
Marilyn Solano founded Connect Education and serves as its CEO. It is a Latina-founded, woman-led company connecting families across Canada with certified teachers.
How are the 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians chosen?
Candidates are drawn from a national field spanning business, the arts, education, sport, public service and community leadership. Recent editions have included a public voting stage ahead of the gala.
When is the next TLN awards gala?
TLN's awards page lists the 2026 gala for 22 October 2026 in Toronto, with public voting open until 30 September 2026.
Sources
- TLN Media Group, 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians, on the programme's 2007 launch, the 170+ honourees, and the 2026 gala and voting dates. Retrieved September 2026.
- Marilyn Solano, 2025 winner, TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians Awards.
- Connect Education, 16th Annual Awards Gala sponsorship, 7 November 2024.
Connect Education connects families across Canada with certified teachers in good standing with their provincial college of teachers. If your child needs support, book a free 15-minute assessment.
