Supported by Texas Mutual Worker Compensation Insurance Company.

Oh.

Welcome to SALUD celebrating South Texas Latina l I'm your host, Melanie Mendez Go We're so happy to have you here on this episode You'll see how Latinas are changing history right before ou In historical archives.

Inspirational pageants and the food industry.

Salud.

Starts now.

History in itself is an amazing Now imagine a museum dedicated to the history of Fair LED by an 11th generation San An And who is now the first Latina that museum.

This is history in the making.

And the woman making it is Belinda Gavallos.

My name is Belinda Mora Gavallos, fine arts professional.

Executive director of the San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Bex County Historical Commission.

For the last 22 years, I've been in the fine arts not as a creator, but as a business professional.

Buying and selling 19th century and early Texas pie But as that aspect of my profess has wound down, my interests have evolved from f arts to historic preservation and to empowering women.

My family arrived in 1731.

They came from the Canary Island and they were the founders of the first civil government in San Antonio.

On another branch, I am a Navarro descendant.

The original Corsican Navarro ca through this Navarro.

My third great grandmother was in the Alamo during the batt Her future grandmother in law was also in the Alamo during the I like to think that the girls in our family have com from pretty sturdy stock.

Strong women, I believe, begat strong women, and it's important for us to emb where we come from, who those women are, to know our so that we can know our voices.

History is who we are, where we Why is San Antonio and Bexar Cou the way it is?

You have to look back at your hi You have to embrace it.

We need to keep studying history keep looking and preserving it.

The Bexar County Historical Comm mission is to protect, preserve, and promote the history of Bexar and all of its historical assets and resources.

I'm so focused on historic prese and building women up and empowering women.

And so the message has to come a My conversation with the public involves the building of that relationshi Women have been left out of the really important poin in Bexar County history, in San Antonio history and Texas I've had conversations with the folks at the Alamo who I have an enormous amount of respect fo We've got a statue of Susanna Di We've got a statue of Emily Morg Where are the Navarro sisters?

Where are that?

The Hanna's.

There's none.

There's none there.

Finally, with the development of the lunette and all of the Al there is a placard there with a story of the Navarro sist So I was very pleased to see tha I remember, going to see in it an advisor.

As I was starting university and being told that I wasn't smart enough to go to law school You don't have what it takes.

And that stuck to me.

I didn't go to law school.

I should have listened to my gut Sometimes you just have to listen to yours What's your drive?

What's your p Maybe it wasn't in the cards for me to go to law school.

And maybe this is my my purpose.

It was very discouraging.

I'm the daughter of two educator So education is the gateway to s And my parents, who were the first in their fami to go to an institution of higher learning, both graduated with advanced deg and certifications because of th and their mentoring and the comp support, advocacy, belief in me.

I feel very successful.

I am not through with anything I I think it's important for a woman to evolve.

I went from, you know, graduating from school and working as an account execut at an NBC affiliate in West Texa That was another place where I l that women were discounted.

So I was going to sell add time to this one business and I'm a whopping 23 years old.

All of 100 pounds.

And he says to me, this is a man my father's age.

He said, you know, you're very intimidati You have no business doing this.

And I could feel the whole chill going down, my body of adrenaline going, oh, Now what do I do?

And I was just mortified.

I was mortified because I was so It was my first cold call.

So I went back to my station man practically in tatters.

And he was a wonderful man who did remind me a little bit o and he said, I should have known not to send you to him.

I think you're just exactly what the station needs.

And he made me remember that the confidence in myself is impo and it's good.

And not to let other people bring you down.

From that point on, I raised my Once they started middle school, I jumped back into the professio Now that my children are adults and I have grandchildren, I'm much more intrigued, much more free to embrace what is out there that I can do to help better my and to be able to be a model for who don't think they can do it.

Absolutely.

You can do it.

I guess it boils down to who believes in My parents believed in me.

My father taught me I could do a He wouldn't even let me get a driver's licen Until I learned how to drive a s and learn how to change a tire.

That's a very empowering thing.

Those are empowering tools for a to know how to do so.

Things like that where you build on these steppin because you have a good mentor.

That mentor gets you through the fear factor.

I had amazing professional mento Yvonne Katz from the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, to have her faith in me and mentor me and gu and make me understand that I ha beyond what I think I have.

The same thing with judge Sky.

I was appointed by Judge Sharkey in January of 2024 to chair the Bexar County Historical Comm It was a little scary to step into an organization that you've never dealt with, wi exceptionally bright people, pro and lawyers and judges and archi and then come in to lead that.

That's that's scary.

But I was able to do it because that confidence that was carried me through.

The key to my leadership is list Whether that's leading your chil and guiding them, leading colleagues, you've got t To be able to learn, to be able to understand where they're comi Whether or not I'm successful.

Depends on your definition of su Am I a wealthy woman?

I'm not a wealthy woman.

I have a wealth of relationships wonderful relationships.

And I think that's where wealth comes from.

And relationships are what is most important.

The best advice I ever got was from my grandmother, and she told me, bend the stick while it's green.

In other words, train yourself l little green twig to have self-d To be giving.

To be trustworthy.

To earn people's respect.

To be I'd like to pass on some unsolic advice to young women.

Younger women than myself.

Relationship building is going to be the paramount of just about everything you do.

You're going to have to look somebody in the and give your thoughts.

Stand by your words.

Own your voice.

You're not a little girl.

Don't act like a little girl.

Own your voice.

Be proud of your Be proud of your thoughts.

You're going to do good things.

I have worked in corporate Ameri for probably about 18 years and, climbed the corporate ladder and during my time, you know, there weren't a lot of women of walking the halls of corporate A And I didn't have a whole lot of or anyone that would help me and guide me you know, those ranks.

And, you know, you just you hit ceiling, and I hit a glass ceili I hit a few glass walls.

And I said, you know, I just I needed to make a change And if I was ever going to be, CEO or president of a company, I needed to create that opportun on my own.

There was a time in history when beauty pageants were focuse nothing more than physical beaut That is in the history books now Pageants like Miss Texas Latina focus on Hispanic culture, empowerment, and community invol Allegra Rodriguez is the current title holder.

And besides being beautiful, she is an inspiration in the world of science and tech They say to.

My name is Allegra Rodriguez.

I am mystics Latina 2024, and I'm an aircraft technician and also book writer for an avia children's book and student pilot.

I'm originally from Mexico, Tama I immigrated here to the United to Douglas, Texas.

I came at the age of 13 years ol it was really hard to get used t I still have an accent and, mayb at the beginning I didn't embrac But today I think that became ju You know, it was mainly me and something different than oth Do they embrace it?

And I try to, some Latina, you know, showcase that your culture is what makes I don't have a lot of experience in page but it has changed my life, I th How did you came at the right ti miss Texas Latina offered the unique opport of using my passions and interes to make a positive change in my You are in the eye of people, but you are heard and you are have the opportunity of inspirin I am a model, but I am a role mo to this girl, students and everything I do in the community is not the crown o that makes you a queen, but the impact that you make.

And I think I have make a lot of by, you know, being a mentor, going to community events, being and being a representative for L I can do what someone else didn't do for You know, I didn't have a lot of girls role models growing up.

But I joined like other groups, like Women in Aviation and found My role model is Olga Custodio,the first Latina pilot to be on the U.S.

Air Force.

She is such an inspiration to me She became a mentor, a friend, and pushed me, you kno to pursue that future that I wan I have three degrees.

Two of them are in aviation.

Do they work for one of the bigg aviation companies in the world?

Launched my book about a little that is a pilot.

But I do modeling.

I do my extracurricular activiti That's been a mentor and just be a role model to the girls that m you want to be in Stem?

Stem is science, technology, engineering and math For me, it's aviation.

My degrees are in the science of and powerplant from hallmark Uni College of Brunei.

I also do part of my engineering and today I'm starting to be a p Aviation is more than just math and science I mean, I love those things, but it feels more empowering.

We're making a change in our com I know Stem is the future and I think our ge younger generations are the futu So if we can educate them to be of that world, special little gi I think Stem deserves to have mo and I think we need that point of view in the Stem f And I know the future's female.

When I fly the skies somewhere I can feel free.

And I feel powerful and stoppabl is something I never dream of as a little gir And now to have accomplished.

It's a dream come true.

Oh.

Don't, perceive obstacles that are the There's always challenges.

It's helpful to be aware that th going to be speed bumps along th But if you know that they're the you hurdled them, you slow down and you jump over the hoops and you do what you need to do.

Most of us celebrate our family history through our traditions around fo those family gatherings around the kitchen table, those wonderful recipes from our Maria Hess wanted to honor her h by sharing her traditions with her company, Hess Street Fo She shares with Jesse Diego how she made her space in a very competitive field.

This year.

Jesse, so nice to meet you.

Same here.

Please have a seat, p Thank you.

Oh, we have so much to talk abou Yes, yes.

First and foremost, getting to the point where you a now, I'm sure success didn't com It did.

And what were what would you say were some of the major obstacles or perhaps the biggest obstacle you faced in getting started?

First of all, I had no clue on to how to start a business.

I didn't know what was allowed.

Not allowed.

I didn't know the law.

The business law.

Well.

So I try to search on online, you know, on my computer.

I open my computer and I search, programs, places where I could get all this knowl information, help.

And I found launches say, geekdom.

So I started to go to those, programs, conversations, talks.

I met a lot of amazing people, m and they guided me, Jesse, onto how to start a business.

So they gave me all the tools.

So that's how I started.

Okay.

I knew I had to go to the city hall, open a DBA or on that.

I'll see all those little detail I didn't know how to.

So they kind of gave me, bluepri You known how to start a busines First, you need to open your, DB at this specific location in San Then, then you start of, opening your bank account, and then you start getting a pla So they really held your hand?

Yes, throughout the whole proces because otherwise I'm sure you would have been, again, just relying on the internet.

But thank God for the resources that are out there.

Yes, but as despite all the good advice y I'm sure that there may or may be some red flags out the But tell our viewers what kind of red flags and what should they be on the lookout for, especially if you're just starti a business.

First red flag is, you not being sure if your product is going to be a and then, probably finding out that your p has some improvement still for for it to be showed out to the entire w so that, that that's the biggest for me to, to be sure and of what you reall and not scared of trying new things, it's hard to go from sel starting to question, is this the right thing for me, for my future and gaining that confidence that you need to forge ahead?

Ye You don't know where to start, n but then you get a blueprint.

So now you know, and then you, you are scared.

And that's the biggest challenge Don't be scared.

Be yourself.

A lot of people are going to tell you this is not going to work.

This is probably you don't there's not a market for your id or your product, but keep trying and believe in y So, once you get through that biggest challenge, which is in your head, you know, little voice telling you, hey, t this might not work.

You're going to face a lot of pr Are you ready?

You might not be You have to, just put all those voices in the and throw it away really far away and keep going.

And believe in yourself, and you'll find the answers.

You just need to go ahead and st Jesse, that's the biggest advice I would give.

Start your plan.

Start what you are dreaming up.

Use that passion.

Make that passion.

Yes, and thank God for your abil to lead you.

Yes, because I know in reading your bio that origina you wanted to make actual choice Yes, but there was a problem.

There was a big problem.

And at that point you said, that I'm not going to do this.

So briefly tell us what that pro and how you overcame that.

And it came to you, perhaps than a little easier.

Yes.

I believe very strongly about, my abuelita telling me and giving me advice.

Still from So I wanted to do the entire Ter That's what I wanted to bring out to th But handling raw meat, specifica raw pork, that's a very tricky, very risky And it requires a lot of money, which I didn't have.

So I thought, this is the end of the line for This is it.

I'm not going to be able to just to make this idea, this project And then I thought, so it pork is the problem.

If raw meat is a problem, just take it out.

Just take it out of the equation which is what I did.

And I brought that day to all of mentors and people that I was, you know, meeting at this places I brought the pastes.

So just the starter, the natural flavor right there, the seasoning, the paste that makes chili.

So, yes, minus the pork, minus t And guess what?

It worked.

Yeah.

It worked.

It worked to work.

Yes, that I w I imagine that you never know wh when you're open for change, when you're open for a new way for your business to operate, to, it's amazing what happens when you break stig It's very difficult because it's very personal.

You have in your hands a generational recipe, and you feel a lot of responsibi You just need to you need you just need to break that barr Don't let it hold you back.

It should inspire you, but at the same time, not let it you back and limit your realm of possibilities.

Correct.

And yeah, so I guess that taught the importance of being flexible And be open to alternatives, because so often we cling to tha that's ours, ours, ours.

I want to make it.

And you learn.

You learn very well.

Thank you that I'm still learnin I'm still learning.

It's it's the entrepreneurial jo It's like that.

You need to be ready for change all the time, because all the time live presen you a new challenge, right?

So just breathe in.

Remember why you want to do this Your why is very important.

What's the purpose behind all th And at the same time expect the unexpected.

Yeah, because it will happen.

Expect beyond any range of possi Well, given again your experienc and what you've learned in the process, what advice?

I think can others get from this in term of especially given it's a very competitive field?

Yes.

And to make matters more complicated is the fact tha a very difficult economy here.

Y So consequently, how are you trying to overcome a based on your experience and how can others learn from your e I love that question.

I want to say all the entrepreneurs out there, that have an idea, a dream.

It's not all bells and whistles you need to be.

You need to be very organized, very organized.

If you have a source of income.

This is very important for me also to tell people, keep it, keep it until you start being pr Okay.

It's going to require a lot of w More hours for you at the beginn probably the first three, four y It's going to be worth it, I pro It's a lot of work.

You need to surround yourself by community.

Your family is the first number one support.

You need to sell them your produ They need to be convinced this is going to work.

Your first customers.

Your first customers.

Yes.

Thank you.

Oh gosh.

Well, wonderful way to end our i Thank you so very much for all this great And I know there are going to be a lot of people out there who will learn from your experie Thank you very much for having m It's such a pleasure.

Learn to speak up, because it is part of our cultur where we're kind of quiet to beg And, you hear those syndromes who are you were going to raise your han and you did it, and somebody else said what you were going to say.

So, so if anything, I've learned I need to speak up and to speak quickly.

As soon as I think about it, even though it might not fit in But to make sure that you get yo thoughts, you know, out there be if not, somebody else is going t and you're going to I was just thinking that.

Why didn't I say anything?

So, I think I've learned how to a little bit more and not be qui quite so modest.

Latinas making history in South central I hope you enjoyed hearing these tell their stories.

Thank you for being here.

We'll see you again next week.

To celebrate Latina leaders on S Melanie Mendez Gonzalez Nos Vemos.

Salud is supported by Texas Mutual workers compensation insurance company.