“I’m a first-generation Mexican-American and grew up in a hard-working family with no pedigree or privilege. My career’s inspired by polaroids of my parents proudly holding their US Citizen certificate. For years, I believed that the way to honor their sacrifices was through a big title and corner office. So, I climbed the ladder, ignoring when I was told to “stay small.” 

As a female minority, I often felt I was only as valuable as the seat I never really had. I dreamt of entrepreneurship but was scared of failure. Then, COVID-19 hit, and my role was eliminated — when you have more time to sleep, dreams get louder. May 2020, The MRN Agency began from my living room table. Then, in December 2020, both parents contracted the virus. As 34M families know, COVID is unpredictable & relentless. As my parents recovered, my sister got sick and 72 hours later she was gone. I wanted to give up, but thinking back to that photo, I was reminded that through sacrifice, resilience is born. I channeled grief into building a company that’d enable change and tell a story that’d hopefully inspire. Today, I’m proud to have beat the 92% fail rate for female-founders within one year, without any funding. I’ve opened offices locally and internationally and hired a full-time staff (60% female + 85% multicultural). 

I finally understand the look on my parents’ faces in that photo; it wasn’t just pride, it was confidence that anything’s possible, and if lucky, someday, someone might see my photo and believe that too.”

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