Mujeres del Mercado

Carmen immigrated to the United States as a newlywed in 1999. Her initial plans were to stay in Los Angeles just long enough to save enough money to purchase a house in their hometown of Mexico City. Leaving her entire family behind was a great sacrifice for Carmen, but she found solace in the support that her husband and his family provided, and in the knowledge that the separation would only be temporary. However, the arrival of their first child altered Carmen’s plans entirely as she realized in order to provide a better quality of life for her young family, it was best to remain in the United States.

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As she acclimated to the rhythm of life in Los Angeles, Carmen became active in her children’s school and coordinated a small group of parents to help secure grocery donations for families in need. Her affinity for learning launched her into participating in various parent workshops and the completion of Esperanza’s Community Health Promoter’s Training Program in 2017, which she considers one of her proudest accomplishments. Carmen is the epitome of a Promotora and has dedicated all her free time to learning and imparting that knowledge to her community. She has gone on to complete multiple specialized training programs that allow her to provide Nutrition and Fitness workshops for LA Care, volunteer at the East Los Angeles Women’s Center at the Women Against Violence and HIV Prevention programs. Additionally, Carmen volunteers at a Domestic Violence Shelter that serves women who have suffered physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.

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Carmen’s achievements have not come without their challenges that at many times felt insurmountable; she has had to constantly navigate through feelings of despair that arose from the distance between her and her family in México. When one of Carmen’s brothers died, she fell into what she did not have a name for then, but now understands as depression. Her faith and the belief that light always comes after the darkness led her to understand the purpose of these challenges in her life.

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Today, Carmen continues to flourish, and her goal is to leave a legacy for her three children that all in life is possible no matter how difficult it may seem. She hopes to model this belief by continuing her education, which was stunted after the second year of middle school due to her family’s economic hardship. Carmen is currently studying to obtain her GED and will not stop until she earns a college degree.

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