Conversations with Beatriz Cazares-Herman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beatriz Cazares-Herman.

Beatriz, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Guadalajara Mexico in 1986 and arrived to Ontario, California in the year 1990. My mother immigrated before my sisters and I, not thinking that she was going to remain permanently here in the states. Being a single mother with a low level of education prevented my mother from being present and supporting her children in any academic capacity. We grew up in a large complex where we would move from 1 to 2 bedrooms every now and again because we couldn’t afford the rent. It was crowded. Growing up in a household with a single parent and three siblings was not easy for a kid like myself. I always felt different from my siblings and often felt misunderstood.

These feelings led me to become involved as much as I could in any after-school activities and in sports. Over time I saw how the poor choices my older sisters had led them to a life of hardship, this motivated me to make better choices for my life. However, upon graduating high school I learned about my undocumented status. This reality led me through a few years of mental and emotional struggle. I struggled with feelings of inadequacy, fear, anger, and depression. It would take me six years before I would learn that college was a possibility for me and three years after that I could finally live a life out of the shadows because President Obama had signed the executive order for DACA – Deferred Act for Childhood Arrival. It felt like my life was finally beginning at the age of 25.

It was this protection that allowed me to pursue dormant dreams and obtain a bachelor’s degree. Nothing came easy and everything I accomplished took a lot of work. My most recent academic accomplishment happened last year, 2021, when I graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s in Communication. I am the first in my family to obtain a degree but I don’t think I will be the last. Upon graduating, I stumbled upon a wonderful opportunity with an incredible organization that gives back to students through the power of storytelling. For the last year, I have been a part of the PlusMe Project, a nonprofit organization that works closely with LAUSD and programs in high schools that are located in underrepresented communities. Here I get to come in, share my story in hopes of inspiring the students, and I also help them to write their own personal narratives. I guess my life has come full circle. I am doing what I want to do, working with the perfect audience and I love every day I get to make a difference in a teenager’s life because I know what it is like to be in most of these kids’ shoes.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I had just ended my marriage of two years. It was a frightening time where I suddenly found myself back at square one. I struggled with the embarrassment of a failed relationship and others’ disapproval of my defiant return to school. I was enrolled at Mt. SAC in Walnut, California because I felt that school offered me stability and purpose in what was a crazy time. During my time there I remember struggling with direction. I was processing the end and the beginning of two very important and very different life course events. Despite the confusion, I felt a pull toward public speaking. As things turned out, others already in the field pushed me in the direction of beauty pageants, echoing similar things about a future career in beauty pageants. At one such pageant, TMZ covertly approached me for an interview.

When I saw the interview later, I realized their intention was to make fun of my education, ethnicity and accent. As a Latin American woman, I knew only too well how long and hard I had fought to be where I was: I was a humble, hard-working woman with a formidable character and a mind open to learning and growth. I fought back by accepting all the invitations various organizations extended to me after the TMZ interview aired. I started doing red-carpet events and other hosting events, interviewing celebrities, and working for Ford. It was during this 4-year gap that I realized how much I loved public speaking. Putting the pageants behind me once more, I enrolled in school (this time at Los Angeles City College), to follow my heart. My experiences prepared me well for what lied ahead in school and in life. So too, did that bad experience with TMZ.

I have faced many obstacles with my immigration status, lack of financial aid, and lack of support. However, I have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunities too, such as attending high school. After graduating high school in 2004, I learned that I was undocumented and could not continue school. This was incredibly deflating. I loved school and while I attended school would frequently discuss the prospects of my future with my friends. To hear that I no longer could make my dreams a reality put me into a tailspin which spiraled into depression. Yet, I refused to stay down and left the house to find work. For six years I worked in the automotive field manufacturing axles and later doing office work for an aerospace company. When the recession of 2008 hit, I lost my job. While in a restaurant working as a waitress, I ran into an old school friend who was attending school. “How?” I asked her incredulously. When she told me about the California Assembly Bill 540, I was overjoyed. The AB-540 form allows undocumented high school graduates to attend college and pay resident fees. The very next day I stood in line at Mt. Sac registering for school. I attended school part-time and worked part-time. Thanks to DACA and other programs like EOPS, I was able to attend school full-time. I quickly became a part of the Honors program, which allowed me to challenge myself. I am also the first in my family to attend college and with it come to some challenges and judgment. I have had to figure it out on my own, but it’s been worth it. I love knowing that I have paved a new road for my family as a role model.

The most significant challenge I have faced has been being undocumented and experiencing homelessness. After my divorce in 2012, I had nowhere to go and I had no family to turn to because they had no more room for me. This meant that I would have to put school on hold one more time while I got back on my feet. I graduated high school in 2004, but I did not start college for six years. For three years, since 2012, I was sleeping on my friends’ couches staying in their living room, working multiple jobs as a waitress and hostess. Every three months I was packing my three boxes of items that I owned and moving to a new place. It was the hardest yet the most humbling experience. Thanks to DACA I managed to get a job for Ford that required me to travel six months out of the year and present cars in national auto shows. This job made me feel inclusive again: like a normal person who belonged to society. Being undocumented came with emotional struggles and feelings of inadequacy, but I have never allowed myself to fall victim to them. I continue to strive for a better education and defeat all my self-doubt.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently work with a wonderful organization called The PlusMe Project. We are a community partner in Los Angeles dedicated to empowering youth to build their confidence by teaching the art of storytelling. Our mission is to activate the art of personal storytelling to increase confidence in youth as they pursue college, career & life goals. My role as a facilitator means that I come into the classrooms and walk the students through the steps of capturing their stories in their personal journals. I also get to share my personal story of struggle and resilience in hopes of motivating and encouraging them. The Storytellers workshop is one of many workshops that we facilitate for these students. I am most proud of the difference that we make in these students’ lives because we help them reflect on their stories and give them the voice to share these hard stories which in turn helps them generate self-awareness – Knowing who they are, where they come from and how they got to where they are now. When we come into the classroom setting, we come with one goal and that is to give these kids a voice and visibility. We are the only existing organization that does this and we are 10 years strong next year, 2023.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Living my best life requires that I take a little bit of knowledge and wisdom from others. When I had a lot of time in my hands (before I became a parent), I read a lot of self-help, autobiographical, and spiritual books. Books by Don Miguel Ruiz, Paulo Coelho, Rhonda Byrne, James R. Doty, and Eckhart Tolle are among my favorite spiritual reads. I also find it useful to read about other people’s lives because it gives me perspective for general life struggles. I’ve read Michelle Obama’s book, Bette Davis, J-Lo, Gabrielle Union, and Trevor Noah are among the few. As far as the self-help books I’ve indulged in authors like Esther Perel, Brene Brown, David Goggins, Amy Morin, Florence Williams, and Marianne Williamson. My second favorite thing to do – and the easiest on the road is to listen to a podcasts. “Hidden Brain” is my latest discovery. It explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world. I love learning how the brain works and how malleable it is. You learn so many fascinating things like “decoding emotions”, “how to open your mind”, “how to really know another person”, “reframing your reality”, etc. Basically anything related to the brain and mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theplusmeproject.org/

Image Credits
I, Beatriz Herman am the owner of all 4 photos.