Her Story
About Esmeralda
I've been in education for about 20 years, starting when I was in high school as an after-school tutor. After graduating high school in 2007, I attended Barry University in Miami on a full scholarship. I had to take a year off between 2009 and 2010 due to losing my scholarship during the recession and a family crisis, but I never gave up on my goal. I worked to save money and eventually graduated in 2011, though I had to take out loans for my senior year. After college, I came back to my community in Immokalee and worked in preschool for 6 years, then elementary for 7 years. Since 2021, I've been working as a middle school program coordinator at a nonprofit foundation, where I oversee the curriculum and support teachers in our program. We work with students starting in 6th grade, teaching them about careers, the difference between jobs and professions, and preparing them for their futures. I'm passionate about this work because I'm a member of this community - I sat in that same middle school years ago. My parents were farm workers from Mexico with little formal education, but through mentors and positive role models, I was able to pursue my education and now give back to students facing similar challenges.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Esmeralda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I don't think I would be the person that I am, or just in general, not just in my career, if it wasn't for my mentor and the positive role models that I had in my life. I had mentors along the way, teachers, influential positive people and role models that kept pushing me. I'm still thankful for my mentor investing the time and teaching me something that my parents couldn't. These positive, influential people in my life showed me their stories too, and I thought if that person made it, I'm pretty sure I could make it too. Without that passion for students and education, I don't think I would have had the grit to go back and finish my schooling after losing my scholarship and facing family challenges.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just to not give up. We all go through different obstacles in our life, and just keep going - the sky's the limit. Protect that passion that you have, because education is so needed for our students. If you have that passion, it gives you the grit to continue and finish, even when things get hard. Continue to pour into you as a person, but also pour into your education, into what you would like to become, your career, your goals, and just have that grit. Don't be afraid to grow, don't be afraid to pursue that dream of a career, a business, a hobby, or learning new things. You never know when you might need it, or that could be your saver. We just need more women to be mentors, role models, advocates to motivate us in any part of our life.
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