Amanda Gonzales

I attribute my drive and my success to my parents. Both my parents came from very humble beginnings - they both came from parents that were immigrants. My dad's family was from Spain, my mom from Spain and Mexico, and their families were migrant workers in farms. My mom was the first one of her siblings to go to college, full ride to USC, and she instilled in us hard work and education. She always said nobody can take education from you. My dad served in the Air Force, so his instillment of structure and organization, being on time, hard work, and helping your fellow man no matter what your views are - he always said he served so that people could have their opinions and freedom, that's the beauty of America. They have always been the reason for my hard work and for me to thrive. And then after having my daughter, of course, to pass on that legacy and that foundation of hard work and knowing that you, as a citizen, have a duty to make the world a better place by being a better person.

The best advice I received was from my mom after I lost my husband to COVID five years ago. I was immediately jumping back into working full-time and getting back to the corporate world, and there were times I felt like, how am I going to do this? How am I going to even match or bring in the type of money that he was bringing in? My mom told me: just because you're female, do not underestimate yourself, don't doubt yourself - he was allowed to do what he did because of what you did. That advice has stayed with me, and I would say to anyone: even on your hardest days, never count yourself out, and always believe in yourself. Never sell yourself short and never underestimate yourself or doubt yourself because you are female.

My best advice would be: never sell yourself short, never underestimate yourself, or doubt yourself because you are female. Five years ago, I lost my husband due to COVID, and although he was the breadwinner and the rock and foundation of our family, I never realized how much I did behind the scenes. We were 50-50 and the most amazing team ever, but his financial earnings allowed me to do a lot of the mom things and volunteer things. After his passing, I immediately jumped into getting back to working full-time and the corporate world, and there were times I felt like, how am I going to do this? How am I going to even match or bring in the type of money that he was bringing in? The best advice I received from my mom was: just because you're female, do not underestimate yourself, don't doubt yourself - he was allowed to do what he did because of what you did. So my advice is: always, even on your hardest days, never count yourself out, and always believe in yourself.

Hard work, education, and helping others are the most important values to me - these were instilled by my parents who came from humble beginnings as children of immigrant migrant workers. My mom always said nobody can take education from you, and my dad, who served in the Air Force, taught me about structure, organization, being on time, and helping your fellow man no matter what your views are. He always said he served so that people could have their opinions and freedom, and that we can always cordially agree to disagree. As long as it's not hurting anyone and making the world a better place, that's what matters. After having my daughter, I wanted to pass on that legacy and foundation of hard work and knowing that you, as a citizen, have a duty to make the world a better place by being a better person.