Lilyan Prado Carrillo migrated to the United States from Guatemala when she was four years old. Raised solely by her father, Luis Prado, Lilyan has always understood the importance of education. Her father taught her to have a strong work ethic and the power of education.
Lilyan attended a junior college where she funded her own education costs by working up to 50 hours per week and going to school part time because of her immigration status. She later transferred to and graduated from Texas Woman’s University, where she received a full scholarship and quickly became an outstanding student leader and a campus motivator. In 2002, Lilyan was one of 30 students nationwide, awarded a congressional internship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2013 she earned her a Masters in Public Administration from the University of North Texas.
Since college, Lilyan has served as an educator, a university administrator, and facilitator for national organizations such as Monster Worldwide and the National Council of La Raza, now Unidos U.S. In 2006, she was selected as The Sallie Mae Fund’s national spokesperson and presented to 40,000+ people about her personal journey and access to higher education. In 2007 Lilyan decided to relocate back to Denton, TX to marry Albert Carrillo, raise a family, and give back to her home community. Today Lilyan works full time at Alexander Elementary, a Title I school, serving as a bilingual specialist. She recently received the Estrella de Tejas award from the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas in San Antonio, for her leadership and contributions to the community. In 2020 she was awarded the LULAC District 3 Woman of the Year award for her work with Denton LULAC Council #4366. In addition, she is also a consultant for Educational Achievement Services, Coolspeak Youth Engagement Co., and Lifelong Legacies, Inc., empowering students and families as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator nationally. She is a wife and mom to 5 great kids, and is a member of her local church, enjoys time with Bible Study Fellowship, and is involved in civic organizations such as LULAC, serving as past council president, and HWNT, Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas. Lilyan is a recent alumni of the Latino Center for Leadership Development, Fellowship Class of 2019. In August 2020, Lilyan was diagnosed with breast cancer, but with the support of her family, friends, and physicians, she has since gone into remission. She continues working, speaking, and advocating for underrepresented populations with respect and admiration for all.
