Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Chavez.
Hi Angelica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My name is Angelica Chavez I was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and was brought to the U.S. at two years old. I am a current DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient. I graduated from UHD and currently working full-time for an energy company. I was raised by a single mother and have a younger brother. I was taught to be independent and seeing my mother work constantly and missing out on school activities was not ideal. I didn’t want to be a burden so never complained, I knew she was working hard, and knowing her struggles made me realize that I wanted to make my mom‘s life easier. I started working at a very young age and paid for my own necessities, if I wanted to join a sport or an organization I didn’t want my mother to pay for unforeseen expenses. I always loved to be in extracurricular activities and loved to volunteer. I have always been a determined woman, when I have a goal I do everything possible to achieve it even if it takes a while to see the accomplishment. In 2020 coronavirus pandemic changed our way of living. For example, my job turned into working remotely and after a year, I realize that I was not utilizing my time efficiently. I was spending too much time on Netflix and social media. It was also a hard year because my mom had just left for Mexico to take care of my grandma who had a terminal disease. During that year I was going through a roller coaster of personal issues.
I give thanks for spending time on social media that day because I saw a post about a business that provided professional and personal growth training, I immediately started seeing how people that joined the business had changed their lives for the better. Seeing the change in this woman was incredible. Being a MONAT affiliate provided me with tools that helped me grow personally and professionally. Being part of this business helped me rediscover my purpose, which has always been helping others in any way possible, but since I was caught up in my work, and personal life I had forgotten my real passion. Thanks to the business opportunity and training provided I realized that I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to, so I started working toward my nonprofit. An idea that was always in my mind but I had not been capable of doing because I was afraid of the unknowns. Becoming a Pearl, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing resources to kids of underprivileged communities. Sometimes in life, we stick to our routine because we are comfortable with familiarity. Familiarity and comfort are what keep us from reaching our highest potential.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I believe that anything new that we do has its challenges along the way. Even though we want the road to be as smooth as possible we as humans have to reinvent ourselves and that can be difficult for some. Reinventing ourselves is one of the hardest challenges I’ve had, throughout this journey of reinvention I realized that not everyone shared my vision. I had to network to find people who would support me, and since I considered myself an introvert (some of my friends think otherwise) taking the first step can be overwhelming.
Another challenge was fear, since I am a DACA Recipient, I was always afraid of taking initiative on starting my nonprofit and/or starting my own side business. Fear of not knowing the right steps and potentially getting into some legal issues. I also learned to put myself first, which was a challenge because I always let myself be the last to the care of. The truth is we can only help others when we help ourselves first.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
This is a hard one because I can identify with more than one selection from above. I am a professional when it comes to my full-time job. I work in an energy company where I help manage data analytics projects. In terms of business, on my off days and after work I spend time on my side business which is a MONAT affiliate. MONAT affiliate provides the necessary tools to create and build a thriving business in the ever-growing global beauty industry. The training provided by MONAT gave me the opportunity to take action into starting my non-profit organization.
Becoming a Pearl, Inc focuses on providing resources to kids of underprivileged communities. The idea is that with time the organization can also provide mentorship programs to young adults and GOD willing to expand to other countries.
Last year I partnered with a local elementary school and through a back-to-school drive/fundraiser the organization provided school supplies to students. During Christmas, we continued our mission by creating gift boxes to deliver to kids. Everyone deserves a gift, especially during the holiday season. I am most proud of my mom, thanks to the values she taught me, my passion for helping others came about. She is an entrepreneur herself and I am proud of her for never giving up. What sets me apart from others is that I always see the good in people and will always try the best way possible to help someone in need.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
To be personable, being able to connect to build relationships is very important in anything you wish to accomplish.
A quote that I love is “ If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. African Proverb – Martha Goedert.
Contact Info:
- Website: Angelicachavez93.mymonat.com
- Instagram: @Glowingwithangelica ; @becomingapearl_
Image Credits:
@horandestudios and @fireyoup
