Supported by Texas Mutual Workers Compensation Insurance Company.

And welcome to Salud.

Celebrating South Texas Latina leaders.

I'm your host, Melanie Méndez Gonzalez.

On this episode, you're going to meet two incredible women who decided to take a stand and lead right where they are.

Plus, it's a must for any businesswoman.

Smart money management.

Salute starts now.

There are women who lead as a choice.

Part of a long term plan.

But that's not the case for our first guest.

Before May of 2022, Kimberly Martha Rubio was a working mom focused on everyday activities.

But on May 24th, a shooter took the life of her daughter, ten year old Alexandria Lexi Rubio, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

That tragedy turned this quiet mother into an outspoken advocate and leader for gun control laws.

I know, like I.

My name is Kimberly Rubio, and I'm Lexie's mom.

I am a former journalist.

I run, I'm a runner.

I.

Am an advocate.

It's 10:30 a.m. at Robb Elementary in Uvalde.

I don't know if I ever made a conscious decision to enter the gun violence prevention space, but I knew that I couldn't sit with my pain.

I needed to turn that into purpose.

I want Lexi to be remembered, and I want her to be remembered in a way that I feel she would want.

And Lexi.

Lexi is a leader.

And I just want to be most like her.

I'm speaking directly to moms when I say our baby's lives are on that ballot.

Leading is difficult because there are days when you don't want to get out of bed, when all I want to do is just wallow in my grief.

But there's work to be done, and someone needs to do it.

Lexi's legacy is my greatest responsibility, and I am determined to make change in her name.

I want her to be remembered for more than just the tragedy, more than just the way that she died.

But the life she lived and the life she could have had before.

May 24th, 2022 I was a small town girl.

I was a mom of five and I was content with a small life.

I thought my greatest contribution to this world would be the children that I raised.

And since Lexie's passing, I have decided to turn my pain into purpose.

And that means, for me, working in the gun violence prevention space at the federal level, at the state level, and also fighting for transparency and accountability here at the local level, I think most Americans, and this also includes Texans, are tired.

We're tired of the gun violence.

We want change.

But for some reason, there's a disconnect with our leaders, if you'll call them that.

And.

They're resistant to change.

And when we visited the Capitol, we were there almost every week during last legislative session.

Demanding change.

And what I've come to realize is I want to share Lexi story, to change hearts, to change minds.

But if they won't change, then I think the answer is just to vote them out of office and replace them with those that are willing to do the work.

Magna cum laude I was a very quiet person before May 24th, 2022.

I. I was shy and not very outspoken and now I'm her voice and I refused to let her story be unheard.

I would say something me and Lexi talked about often is that the future is female and women.

We have voices and I think it's time that people heard those voices.

And I want, I want women.

I want women to speak up.

We are no longer asking for change.

We are demanding it and we are angry as hell.

I think it's important because we have stories that haven't been told for so long.

Women have been overlooked and I think it's time that we take that power back.

I buried my ten year old daughter after she was murdered in her fourth grade classroom.

Nobody can hurt me.

So yes, I face a lot of resistance.

I have met with people like Ted Cruz, who were horrible to sit down with, had horrible things to say, and I just need them to know that I'm not going to stop.

Nothing can stop me.

I hope that if a young girl is watching and resonates with my story, that it inspires her.

I will say that I did see some of that when I ran for mayor.

It was very touching.

I would go out places, even at H-e-b, and I would see a little girl staring for a little bit, and then finally she would have the courage to come up and talk to me, and she would say, you know, you're Lexi's mom, or I had Lexi for this class.

They saw my signs around town and it made me think of Lexi and the way that she looked up to women in positions of power.

And it was beautiful to experience.

So since everything happened, I have met a lot of incredible women, not just here in Uvalde, but outside as well.

I feel like a lot of women have been paying attention to some of the pushback I've received, and something that they, you know, pass along to me, whether in person when they meet me or on line.

Social media is to not stop, to not to give up.

They're in my corner, and I appreciate that.

The first time that I spoke out was when I addressed Congress, and that was June 8th.

That was three days before we buried Lexi.

We seek a ban on assault, and I was incredibly nervous.

I knew the world was watching and I just wanted to get the message out there.

This is my daughter.

This is who she was.

This is who she could have been.

And this is why we need to join you in this fight for change.

I don't know if I see myself as strong as so much is determined.

I think determined is a better word.

Uvalde native.

I was raising my children here.

I worked at a small town newspaper.

I loved my job, but I did have plans on moving my children out of Texas.

I just wanted them to to see what was out there.

And, you know, I left my job to go back to school.

I had a plan and I was just six months too short, and we lost Lexi and we decided to to stay here with her.

I wasn't very involved when I was younger.

I didn't go to college, so there was a lot of things that I was unaware of.

So when I started working at TV news, I got to see how city government runs, how county government runs district court, and it was eye opening.

And I owe a lot of my success at college.

After to the Uvalde allegiance and my experiences there.

The reason I ran for mayor is because I wanted to be part of the change.

At the time, there was a lot of unanswered questions.

I was frustrated by that, and I felt like there was, a lack of accountability and transparency and not just for the answers for law, but going forward.

How do we make sure this never happens again?

And to me, getting into it, getting, you know, not just calling others to pay attention, but just being part of the change.

I lost, to Cody Smith.

I've been asked a lot recently if I'm going to run for mayor.

no, I'm not going to run for mayor.

but this won't be the last time.

My name is on the ballot.

I'm open.

I'm open to to different opportunities.

I'm going to see where my future leads me right now, considering law school.

And I remember people telling me that, you know, you need to go to college right out of high school.

And while I agree, I know now looking back that I wasn't ready for the moment that I lost Lexi, I lost myself, the person I was, the mother I was just ceased to exist.

And I sat with that pain, with that grief and I just couldn't take it.

I can't take sitting still.

I needed to run from it all.

And for me, it was the choice to be an advocate, to to fight for change.

And it is both serve the purpose of distracting me and also helping me help other moms never have to feel this type of pain.

Being a hearing in Austin revealed this.

The head of DPS when we have the wrong people meeting, this is the kind of tragedy that happens.

This is why people who are good leaders, who have good hearts should be at the front lines.

Good job Lexi.

Lexi is a leader because she was just so well-rounded about being intelligent and competitive but compassionate.

So much compassion.

She was a sweetheart.

on the day of she received the Good Citizen award.

So not only did we recognize her as a leader, but so did her teacher and her classmates.

Lexi is a leader.

Lexi was a kind of child.

Every parent wants the kind of student, every teacher.

Once she had such a good heart, she was very interested in learning about social justice.

She wanted to be a lawyer.

She loved learning about women in positions of power, and she would still be there listening to me, and we would just have a back and forth conversation.

It wasn't just us that lost Lexi.

This world lost Lexi and and the powerful impact she would have made and that I hope she can continue to make through me.

But it's just so sad that she didn't get to do that on her own, in her own way.

And my primary influence is, is Lexi.

I want to be most like her for those that were blessed to know her.

She's an incredible, incredible ten year old.

She was intelligent, athletic, driven, compassionate.

She was a leader and I want to be the most I can be like her.

As long as I've got Lexi, I've got this.

Kimberly, thank you for sharing your story with us.

Back in San Antonio, our next guest started leading in her West Side neighborhood decades ago, fighting for equity in schools and pushing for city services that were in more affluent parts of San Antonio.

Years later, has a seat that is is still leading my name is, my next educator and a community activist.

Right now, I'm more of an advocate.

Hi.

This is for, one of the meetings that we're going to have.

I've lived in this neighborhood for 63 years.

Out of my 65 years here.

It was a lot of the rural area.

We hadn't been annexed yet by San Antonio, so we had a lot of the vendors.

Wallace Farm, the vendor, Wallace Farms was a lot of corn fields all over.

And the dirt, the roads were dirt.

There was no lights.

There was no plumbing.

Our closest place that we could go get some water was Las Palmas.

And, we would go and we would buy barrels of water and we would pull them in, and, we would heat up the water so we could have warm water, so we could take a shower and stuff.

And we lived in little, shacks.

Really.

Then it started developing and everybody started building their homes and things like that.

But yes.

And we played out in the streets and we had a lot of fun.

And it was a lot of the neighbors and the stories that the neighbors told us and everything that made a very big impact in my life.

I have never really seen myself as a leader in the community.

I see myself more as someone that advocates for the needs of the community, or that brings to light some of the things we need, some of the the items we've done.

Without that, we, we need progressive on.

So that's more what I like to do.

I and I talk to the elders because they've got a story to tell and I like to talk to the youth because I like to go ahead and give them that knowledge of, you know, this is where we were.

And it was nice if you grow up and you come back and help.

Also, you know, when that school started going here, miss O'Reilly and, O'Reilly, Martinez, Nana Mata, that Chevelle was, you know, all of them.

Perez that their surnames were Martinez, Perez, you know, Bay area.

those are the people.

Sanchez.

Those are the people that started saying, we need a bus so they can come and pick up the kids.

So they took the tape measure, and they measured all the way to Kennedy High School so they could get their kids, you know, to go to school in, in they didn't have to walk because it was a long ways.

I graduated from UTSA and I had, my bilingual classes were there.

I went on to get my bachelors.

I went on also to get my master's degree.

my education here in Edgewood was in Edgewood.

I was I am a lifelong community member, but I did drop out of school in the 10th grade.

and then I went back and I got my G.E.D.

through Edgewood, because, of course, when you go into the school system at that time in my era, it was the era of, okay, you came in, you don't know English.

You don't come from the right place.

my father was a food peddler and immigrant.

So I'm the first generational person that went ahead.

It was hard.

We struggled.

We struggled with a lot of the poverty and things like that.

And then you going to school and you struggle some more because you're not eating the right foods.

You're not doing everything is wrong with you.

So it took a lot to build that up.

It took a lot.

I decided to go into teaching and it became a career.

What encouraged me to go back was I need for, being able to serve my community.

I was working at a 7-Eleven.

I was I had worked at a pig stand, and it wasn't enough to maintain a family of of I was having children, of course.

And through that, my husband became, disabled.

So I went back to school and I went ahead and I, I did what I could.

I went to SAC and took classes.

I called around and I said, where's the need area?

And they said, special ed and bilingual.

And I said, you know what?

Bilingual is a great area to go into, especially since I, my schooling had taken a lot of my Spanish away also because we weren't allowed at that time to talk, Spanish in the classroom.

The first thing I did was try to find out as much as possible of the things I knew.

There was a need.

I, I didn't even know there was a neighborhood association.

And, I finally met the person that was with the neighborhood association, which was Velma Pena.

And, she she was my mentor.

She took me in.

She started showing me things.

I was also trying to teach the parents about education and how to go and advocate for their children at the school.

So I was having a class at at that point, it was the old Alamo Community College.

We put our tables at schools and started telling them, you know, come listen to the information.

I did nutrition, I did, standing up to the, you know, getting up to the board and speaking.

We did a voting and census at that point, you know, your right to vote.

What what it entails.

So I was all over the place.

And then, with Yvonne Pena, she had the with with, the West Side Stories magazine, and I was writing stories for her also as a reflection of my childhood.

I think the best advice that I, I've ever gotten is, yes, don't give up.

It doesn't matter your skin color or where you came from.

What matters is your belief in yourself and the vision that you have to to strive for the resilience to get there.

Whoever goes into this line of commitment or advocacy, one of the things that they do need to do is take care of themselves.

Also, because we get so involved in trying to solve problems and get things done that sometimes.

And like I told, the one thing I said was I had health issues.

I wasn't ready to retire in 2015, but because I was so active and so vocal, you know, it takes a toll on your health.

Even now, I have to really step back and pace myself.

There will be tomorrow and you will live to do and fight for another day.

That's just the way you have to take it.

But in that you learn everyone I've come across, every single person I've come across.

I've learned something from them.

They have been my mentors.

Everyone.

Whether it's good or whether it's bad.

You take what you can and you go ahead and you implement and you do the best you can.

So it's been a beautiful, beautiful journey for me.

And it's it's 60.

You know, I say people, I supposed to be like retired, I pray I'm living a good life, I love it, I love the, the the people I interact with, the the vision that we have, that the being able to look beyond what's here and make it better.

Learning to lead, running a business, developing and growing your talent all take a certain set of skills.

But there's one other skill that every successful woman needs to know and that is handling money.

Let's get some sound advice as they go.

Y'all.

Those talks with financial expert event.

But.

We're so happy to have Ivette Villanueva Pereira, a financial expert who has done quite a bit of work with small business owners, many of them Latinas.

So let me ask you, as far as getting started, you would you say that not knowing how much they're going to need to get started, is that one of the first mistakes that a Latina can make with when they have this great idea, but maybe have no idea how much is going to cost?

Yeah, I think that they, sometimes they think maybe it will cost them a little bit more to start a business, maybe it'll cost them a little bit less.

And I think it's really about finding out what your niche is that you're trying to start.

And then doing some just research, get on the internet, figure out what niche you're trying to break into, and Google and see how much money it would take.

For example, the lady that started the business, I worked for a Texas financial advisory where in a wealth management firm, and I can imagine that you would think it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to start.

But she actually just started with $12,000.

She started by doing a seminar, got her foot in the door, and now we're here 16 years later.

So I think it's really just kind of understanding what kind of business you want to start, and then join the research to find out how much money that business would require you to to to start it.

But don't you think it would be wise?

Also, I'm sure you do.

To get some advice though about how to go about forecasting.

Okay, how much is going to cost for my supplies?

How much is it going to cost for my payroll?

How much?

the basics keeping Uncle Sam happy.

Yeah.

Sales.

Yeah.

All of that isn't working.

Women find that kind of resource, is it?

Solely online?

Because I know when I go online, I sometimes would prefer to talk to a real person.

Yeah, I think it's about finding, oh, whatever niche you're going to go and go speak to some of those professionals that have done it, go speak to some of, you know, if you want to be, a financial advisor, for example, since that's where I am, and go and talk to some of those people, find out what are the things that they've had to do to start their start their business.

You know, there are lots of things that people don't take into consideration quarterly taxes at once.

You own your own business.

You need to pay because Uncle Sam likes his money.

the other part of that is, how do I set up my business, you know, does it need to be an LLC?

a sole proprietorship?

you know, lots of different business, but I think it's it's about you finding the right, tribe, if you will.

Right.

Go speak to an attorney to to that can give you advice about what kind of business you're going to set up.

financial advisor to talk about how are we going to pay the taxes?

How can I save for myself?

and I think it's just about finding a mentor to and that that industry that you want to be in so they can help you because there's.

I mean, we have so much opportunity these days that people have already chartered those courses where you can skip a lot of the failing because somebody can help walk you through that, that business.

And I think that's really important that women look for other women that want to help them succeed, because unfortunately, you know, this whole competitive, you know, I got to win.

I got to be the best.

It's great.

But I think at the end of the day, that really needs to be that you're competing with yourself.

Fine.

Other women who have walked those paths find people that want to empower you, because we can all work together if we just help each other.

And and we come from a community that we are always thinking about our family, we're always thinking forward.

And I think it's so important with how many Latinas are, are making differences in the city, that we just team up together because we can bring so many more young women into places of power in leadership.

If we just join forces together.

Some women are hesitant, to go to a bank to ask for money.

It's very intimidating.

The bank, I'm sure, will forsake.

And I see your business plan.

I don't have one.

And again, that is also intimidating.

Is there a way to simplify the way of finding and getting the money that you need to be successful?

yeah.

I mean, it's it's kind of tough.

There's no not a yes or no, right.

It just depends on what kind of business you are trying to start.

And again, I think there's so many resources, resources out there.

I know a couple that, started a business out in Burnie and they actually utilize Utc's entrepreneurial, program that helped them write a business plan, because that would have ended in a city like San Antonio.

And Latinas are in business everywhere, almost on every street corner.

You see, there's a a business owned by a Latina.

so I would imagine that the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, for instance, you know, that would be a good place to network.

I think if women learn the secret of networking, as you say, find your tribe.

And that's where they can also meet those people who've been there, done that and won't do that again.

Yeah.

So would you suggest again?

Get out.

Yeah.

Get out there.

Sign it.

Bad.

Sign up with your your chamber.

find the Hispanic, Chamber of Commerce to to join.

Go find some, non-profits that you can get involved with so that you can meet the right people, that can help you on your, on your venture.

I think, you know, sometimes women feel like they have to do it all alone, and and you don't.

There's again, there's so many resources out there.

There's so many people that want to help.

And I think it's just you have to just be brave enough to take that first step and say, hey, this is what I want for myself.

This is what I want for my family.

And I'm looking and I'm going to go get involved in something that's that has a lot to do with it.

Again, you believe in what you're doing.

Yeah, what to do.

And so you have to find that courage to take on that risk.

Yeah.

Because that's what it is.

It's a risk.

last piece of advice.

What if you get conflicting advice?

One person says this.

The other person says that only.

Now what do I do?

This.

The best piece of advice I could say is listen to your gut.

Your intuition tells you yes, you should walk a certain way and or you need to stay.

Stay away.

I'm a big believer in listening to the man upstairs, and, he tells you when you should walk into a door and when you, should close the door.

So I would just say, listen to your gut and just find your people.

Trust and believe.

Yes, absolutely.

Thank you.

That the end that.

Thank you so much for joining us.

The advice that you gave, I think is going to be very worthwhile to those watching.

Thank you for having me.

Thanks, Jesse.

That wraps up this series for Salud.

We're so glad you have been a part of our celebration of Latina leaders.

I'm Melanie Mendez Gonzalez.

You know, it's the most.