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39 www.baristamagazine.com element. She presents on topics like her kitchen routine, how she trains for barista competitions, and the potential for careers in coffee. Considering many of Rituals' employ- ees are female, this is a particularly special moment for Laila, who has long been an advocate of women in specialty coffee. "I real- ly got the opportunity to speak to them on a level as a woman and not just a coffee per- son," she says. "I wanted to get them excited for the opportunities that exist if they work hard enough." While the baristas are shy and reserved at first, Laila watches their excitement grow as they ask more and more questions. "I really saw them come out of their shells throughout the training presentations," she says. The day culminates in a latte art class. "None of them had ever done latte art before," she says, "and training a roomful of people on latte art in a few hours is nearly impossible." After instructing them on the basics, she gives each barista a chance to pour a latte. There is wild excitement in the room, and the baristas have gotten what they came for: inspiration. The next day, Rituals hosts a latte art competition, and 22 baristas compete. Considering none of them have competed before, and this is first time they have even tried latte art, many surprise Laila with their talent and tenacity. "Every single one of them poured something," she says, "and some of them actually poured latte art that made me think, 'How in the world did they do that?'" After the competition, baristas who were previously too shy to look her in the eye are now posing for selfies with Laila. "I think they were expecting me to show them what they were doing wrong," she says, "but my goal was to get them excited about being baristas and share my enthusiasm." Before the day ends, many of the girls thank her, explaining that no one else has ever gotten them this excited about the craft of serving coffee. Plenty of issues still challenge the growth Laila displays the massive the leaves of the local flora in Trinidad's jungles. Rich greenery blankets the hillsides of the Caribbean island. TRINIDAD