Born in Union de Reyes, Cuba, in 1923, Siomara graduated from law school in Havana where she worked as a lawyer until 1960, when she was detained and interrogated by the police, accused of being an anti-communist dissident. Upon her release, and fearing for her life, she fled Cuba to join one of her sisters who was living in New York City. Her mother and other sister subsequently joined them to begin a new life in the United States. After living briefly in New York City, Siomara settled in Union City, NJ - the area of Hudson County referred to as Little Havana.

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She worked as a bookkeeper while she studied to obtain a Master’s degree in Guidance Counseling at Montclair State University. Through her work as Guidance Counselor at East Side High School in Newark NJ, Siomara developed a deep-rooted conviction that access to high quality education is the key to personal and societal success. In 1980 she became President of the NJ chapter of NACAW, a national nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Ana Maria Pereda.  During the Cuban exodus of the 80's she volunteered tirelessly to support the migrants. Expediting applications of countless Cuban refugees, she was granted a license by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to act as an agent, and to conduct Oath of Allegiance ceremonies at the NACAW offices.  Siomara took several adolescents under her wing and personally took two teenagers into her own home who arrived from Cuba without family, mentoring and guiding them until they reached adulthood.

 

As successive waves of immigrants from other Hispanic countries settled in the area, NACAW broadened its scope to serve women and children from all over Latin America, and Siomara established a pre-school under the Abbott program to provide quality education for children of low-income and immigrant families and to support employment opportunities for women.

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On May 6, 2022 - 18 months before Siomara passed away at 100 years of age - her selfless work in the community was recognized when Brian Stack, the Mayor of Union City, at the request of NACAW, named the block of 39th street between Hudson and Palisade Avenue - which had been her home for 60 years -  Siomara Sanchez Way.