Her Story
About Marilyn
I have been working in criminal investigation for 22 years, where I currently serve as an investigative manager overseeing a team of 10 people investigating insurance fraud across Suffolk County, Middlesex, and Massachusetts. I was recruited by an attorney in my town while I was in grad school because they needed someone bilingual, and 22 years later, I'm still here. I'm proud to be the first and only female Latina ever employed at the Fraud Bureau. Simultaneously, I've been teaching psychology for almost 22 years, instructing about 5 classes per semester including Psychology 101, Growth and Development, and Sociology courses, both online and in person. For the past 4-5 years, I've served as president of the Puerto Rican Festival, which has been around for 59 years. In this role, I manage a team of 12 board members and handle everything from working with sponsors and writing grants to coordinating with media platforms including radio and TV. I organize a cultural pageant and run a girls summit workshop for ages 5 to 18, bringing in 3 speakers to talk about their career paths and exposing the girls to different experiences like cooking classes to teach them about Spanish food and Puerto Rican culture. I also organize the largest parade in New England and produce a 2-day festival for over 20,000 people with 7 to 9 entertainers per day. Beyond the festival itself, we give back to our community by packaging 30,000 pounds of food in one day to distribute to different organizations and shelters, helping to feed so many families.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marilyn
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make sure you complete your degree and that you're well prepared. Make sure that you go out with confidence in doing what the job is that you want to do, but you have to be passionate. You have to really show your passion about what you want to do. With confidence and passion, you can accomplish anything. I also believe strongly in education - anyone that can improve their life through education, it's important to me. Through the workshops we do, I teach girls to be confident, to look in a mirror and say 'I like myself' instead of having to have someone tell you a negative aspect of you, and learning to accept who you are. You can see the difference, the change that these girls have throughout the 8 weeks from the beginning of the pageant training to when they compete.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Education is extremely important to me - I'm all about education and helping anyone improve their life through learning. Giving back to the community is also central to who I am. I feel like what I do for the community is appreciated, and it's exciting to see people come in and see the culture, enjoy the food, and look forward to what we do every single year. Teaching girls to be confident and to accept who they are really stands out to me. I can see the confidence from the beginning when I'm doing the pageant, the 8-week training, to the end when they compete - you can see the difference, the change that these girls have throughout the 8 weeks. Being able to help feed so many families, especially today, through our community food packaging where we distribute 30,000 pounds of food to different organizations and shelters - that's one of my biggest accomplishments.
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