by Lucía Moreno Nava

Adriana Esquivias has held onto the hardworking ethic of her parents as she has begun to establish herself in her career.

Growing up in the Union City, CA, she can’t recall a moment that did not include her extended family, as she has lived next to her aunt, uncle, and cousins her whole life. Having grown up in a predominately Mexican neighborhood, she never personally experienced discrimination. Some of her most cherished childhood moments involve the various family gatherings that for her distinguished her family as Mexican.

She recalls how despite her parents working full time as she was growing up, they made time to attend her and her siblings’ open houses at their school. Her parents always pushed them to do well in school

Attending James Logan High School, Adriana took after her mother and was focused on excelling in school. Participating in ballet folkorico helped her combat her shyness and become better at communicating with people. Although she had certain teachers who she felt contributed to her growing as a person, she did not view her high school education as having prepared her for college. She would have liked more openness about the difficulty of college in order to know what she was going to encounter.

Adriana had always known that she would pick a career between medicine or fashion, but it wasn’t until she started working and attended school that she decided to pursue becoming a fashion buyer. She had tried dentistry, but that was not where her passion lay. After years of working retail and moving up to store manager in one of Tilly’s clothing stores, she decided that working in the aspects that involve working with the merchandise would make her happier. She sees retail as an occupation that is often looked down upon, but Adriana comments that this view could be changing as more people are working retail and can see what the job really entails.

She followed her parent’s hard working example when looking at her own career path, commenting on how she “feels like [her parents] are still growing in their fields.” Looking at her father’s established career as a cook and her mother’s continual change in career, Adriana respects the good choices they have made in their work history.

She also agrees with the hopes that her parents have for her in life, especially having stability. By staying focused on her studies and incorporating what she learns in her courses, she has been able to complement the two main parts of her life.

Although Adriana has been successful in working towards her goal of working the corporate level, it has not been easy. She has often been a full time student on and off for the years she has worked full time. While it has been rewarding moving towards her dream goal, she has had to sacrifice family time for her other commitments. “If I’m not at school, I’m at work. And if I’m not at work, I’m at school.”