Lina Laguna

I attribute my success to my determination and having the right support from my family, especially my mom, who has been one of my biggest supporters. She was always there and helping me when it comes to the kids, whether I needed to work a little bit late or put in more hours, whatever the case is. My mom was always there. But for sure, my determination and just being determined that I want more in life, I wasn't willing to settle with what I had. I'm always looking for opportunities, always looking to grow. You know, when you don't need money for that, I mean, you can go on YouTube, you can read a book, you can go to the library and check one out. I feel like if you really put your mind to it, you can definitely do it.

It's not easy, it's not easy work, but you really do gotta put yourself out there, not allow fear to hold you back. Go out there, network, meet people, and really put yourself out there and put in the work. I feel that's what's most important, is the getting started and putting in the work. Because as soon as you get that ball rolling, then that's when you're gonna start making connections, you're gonna start meeting the right people at the right time, the right doors are gonna open, and you'll come across the right opportunities. But it's not just gonna happen. You really do have to go in there and put in the work. You have to step out of your comfort zone, because it does get very uncomfortable.

The values most important to me are family, faith, and purpose. Family is one that I hold dear. My faith, or spirituality, is definitely another one that keeps me going when things don't look or don't feel right at the moment, having that faith to keep going. And I would say purpose is probably the other one. Being able to feel fulfilled in life with family, with friends, and then feel like I'm serving a purpose and helping others, there's no lack in my life. I feel pretty full and complete. I also believe strongly in women empowerment and supporting other women. One of the things that I say often is, we're not free until we are all free. I don't just think about the women here locally, but also think about other women worldwide where they're oppressed, where they don't have the freedom to be able to express themselves, to speak their minds, to improve their lives, to further their education. That's stuff that we take for granted here, and I feel like we are not really truly free until we're all free.