Brenda—Mexican and American

I’m from Mexico City. I was born and raised there. I met my husband while he was studying there in 1996. We got married and moved to Michigan. Now I’m a mother of two. I’ve spent the same amount of time in Mexico as I’ve been here. I feel American and Mexican especially as a wife of someone in the military. I appreciate the security here compared to Mexico and I’m glad my girls were raised here.

What jobs have you had? 

When I first came to the States I worked for a nonprofit Hispanic outreach program in Auburn Hills. It was to prevent substance abuse and I was the general manager. I made sure we followed the grant accordingly. When I moved to Grand Blanc in 2008 and money was no longer available for nonprofits I stopped working there. 

My husband got deployed to Iraq and I stayed at home. I became very involved in our church and my daughters’ school. I always did something extra like PTO and Girl Scouts. I also connected with other military wives whose husbands were deployed.

Later on I worked as an ESL teacher assistant in Genesee county. I really liked working with the kids who came from all different backgrounds.After moving to Texas Matt got deployed to Afghanistan. Every time he got deployed I had to start over and it was difficult. I stayed at home again and focused on the girls. From time to time I worked as a substitute teacher. When Matt returned, I worked at J.Crew. Working there was good for me because I learned how to dress. Later, Matt was deployed to Egypt and I had to stop working again. For the past six years I’ve been working for Geico. I’ve been promoted several times. Now I’m a supervisor. I oversee nine people and it’s been great.

What have you learned from having your husband gone in the military husband? I don’t like having to ask people for help. For me being in a different culture was difficult. In Mexico people are willing to help because they know you need help. They just help, you don’t have to ask. But here they don’t help without asking. I’ve learned to ask for help and people are more than willing. 

What was your last moment of bliss? I find those moments of bliss all the time. I appreciate my family.

Who is your hero? My first hero is my mom and then my husband. 

Where did you meet your husband?

Puerto Escondido. I was on vacation with my friends and he was on vacation with his. At the bar,his friends started talking to mine and we all got together at the beach the next day. The rest is history.

What are your hobbies? Yoga, spinning, working out, reading nonfiction, and planning trips. We spend weekends thinking of where we’re going to go on our next trip. I enjoy going to the movies and dates with my husband—especially after a long day.

What was the last game you played? December 31st my oldest and I played spoons. I had never heard of it before. It’s a card game that goes very fast.

What fear have you overcome? I was afraid of being white underwater for a long time. I swim and snorkel but I’ve always been afraid of drowning. But it doesn’t keep me from doing the things I like. 

What’s the most interesting place you visited? Cenotes in the Yucatán. New Orleans is also very interesting. I enjoy the mixture of culture there.

When was the last time you sing out loud? I sing all the time, like in cycle class. What is one thing few people know about you? How I met my husband—

in a bar.

What is a characteristic that the president of United States should have? He should be