By Ruchi Mukherjee

Ruchi Mukherjee

I had no complaints waiting an extra thirty minutes at the press room for the actress of the Desperate Housewives fame, Eva Longoria, on a Saturday evening at the University of Houston Hilton. She was the keynote speaker for the University of Houston Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) Annual Scholarship Banquet.

The event was bustling with star-struck, mostly young students, but I will confess I was also desperately waiting to meet the actress.

I was impressed with her personality, her beauty and above all, her intelligence. At the keynote address, Longoria stressed upon giving back to the community.

“I come from a very philanthropic family and while growing up volunteer work for charity was just a natural course,” she says. “And, as my voice became bigger, I chose to helping Latinos in the US and in particular the women of our community,” she added.

The writer with Eva Longoria after the event in Texas, USA

Eva Longoria certainly has star power and more than just a pretty face, is an amazing public speaker with much grace. She walked in the conference room in a tasteful yet sexy body hugging navy and white dress with smile and lot of enthusiasm.

While questions poured in about minority numbers and stats, Ms. Longoria said that, “We cannot just be a big number, we have to be a movement, a big powerful voting block, be united in what we want to see. And immigration is what makes this country so beautiful, and Latinos play a very important role.”

Eva speaking at the event

She also added that Texas is going to be a very important State in the near future, and she was so very proud to be a Texan first, but she did not want to be in the field of politics. A trip to India is on her bucket list and she is very impressed with the contributions by South Asian women.

The evening continued with her mixing and mingling with students and a VIP reception followed by dinner. The Corpus Christi-born actress has been outspoken on issues of immigration and the banning of Mexican American Studies in some states.

The Eva Longoria Foundation supports programs to help Latinos excel in school and attend college. Additionally, the foundation supports Latina entrepreneurs with career training opportunities.

The 38-year-old actress is now concentrating on producing TV shows, and writing and directing, in addition to her advocacy work.

“I love telling people what to do,” she laughs. She didn’t look tired even though she came straight from the airport and was headed out again, after the event, to London to attend her best friend Victoria Beckham.

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