Ashley Bueno

I never experienced true love until I became a mother. At first, I always thought I was going to be the rich auntie with no kids because I didn't want them. I wanted to be a professional and call it a day. But once I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. Everything was put into perspective, and I realized I wanted to be a mom but also still wanted to further my career. Even though it's hectic, I think I have finally found a balance between motherhood and professionalism, and I'm so blessed to have leadership who is understanding of that and understands that motherhood is a big part of my life. I have three kids, my bonus baby who is now 14 (I met her when she was 8 and became her mother figure after her biological mom passed away), my daughter who is 8, and my son who is 5, plus my youngest Ava who is 3 and so sassy. Motherhood and finding that balance between being a mother and being a professional is my biggest accomplishment for sure, because both are so important to me.

I would say, if your heart is in it, go for it. Passion is key to this work. Right now, it's not only an attack on undocumented communities, it's an attack on public health. All of the advancements that we've made with equity and DEI and stuff like that, we're now having to take that stuff out. We just gotta find a way to get around that and to still serve our community. So if the passion is there and your heart is in it, I say do it. But if this is not where your passion lies, and this is not what fills you in the morning, you might as well want to rethink the career. Oh, and drink a lot of coffee!

Right now, with the political climate and everything that's going on, Latinos are scared. There's like a target on Latinos' backs. I'm fortunate that in my position, I'm able to go out with my staff and identify those gaps and those needs for health services and bring that to the community, because folks are scared to come into government buildings. Even though we're not asking for anything regarding their legal status, they're still scared. They don't know what's left and right. I feel like a lot of the work and the trust that we've built with these communities has kind of diminished because of everything that's going on with ICE and everything. In public health, you just have to get creative and bring those services out to folks. It's not only an attack on undocumented communities right now, it's an attack on public health. All of the advancements that we've made with equity and DEI, we're now having to take that stuff out. We just have to find a way to get around that and still serve our community.

What I find most rewarding is identifying the gaps and being able to be a voice for those who don't necessarily have a voice. As a first-generation Hispanic woman with immigrant parents, I understand what it's like to not have access to critical health information and services. I'm blessed that I have the opportunity to go out into the community and bring services to people who need them. I love community outreach, and even though I joke that I hate people, I'm still a social butterfly. I've worked with people of all walks of life, commercial sex workers, substance users, people who are undocumented, homeless people. But at the end of the day, they're all people and they have a need, and I'm happy that I'm able to interact with those communities and be of service to them. Finding balance is also crucial to me. I've found that balance between motherhood and professionalism, and both are so important to me. I'm blessed to have leadership who understands that motherhood is a big part of my life.