Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my story. My family and I migrated to the U.S. in 1963 from Jalisco, MX. My father arrived to the U.S. in 1954 with the Mexican Labor Importation Program, better known as the “Bracero Project.� In 1963, I arrived with my mother and siblings to create our new life in California. At the young age of 12, I was hired at a local neighborhood diner assisting the head chef with minor tasks such as washing vegetables and dishes. Then at the age of 15, I began working for a Packing House, as a packer. Realizing that I had the desire and potential to do something other than packing at a packing house, I decided to seek out other opportunities. I left the packing house to begin a sales career with “Home Interiors,� within the first six months of my new sales position, my abilities to market and sell products flourished. These talents shined when my sales quotas exceeded the standards within the first year. I ranked third in top sales for the State of California and was able to maintain top sales those following five years. As an independent contractor for Home Interiors and Gifts, I wrote my own paycheck. My success led to my first business venture. In 1977, I began this venture as an owner and operator of a retail store dedicated to the needs of the migrant worker. My entrepreneurial actions lead to an expansion of additional services within the clothing store, which became successful and popular among the migrant community.