Exploring Life & Business with Hilda Zamora

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilda Zamora.

Hi Hilda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a 9-year-old unschooled kid, becoming a lawyer seemed almost impossible. Born in Mexico, I immigrated to the United States with my family at the age of five to work in the fields with my parents and five older siblings from sunup to sundown. At the age of 9, I convinced my parents to let me attend school for the first time—the first one in my family to do so.

Facing both a language barrier, cultural differences and a loss of several learning years, school presented a number of challenges to me. Those first few days, weeks and even months felt almost impossible at times but I stuck with it. Even at such a young age, I had an end goal in mind, namely to honor my parents’ and siblings’ sacrifice and take full advantage of this opportunity to become educated and choose my own career path and future. I persevered through those challenges to eventually graduate top of my class from both middle school and high school. But I didn’t stop there… I went on to become a first-generation college graduate with honors and awards along the way, and today, I’m a top attorney in the Coachella Valley.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. But my passion for justice and to be a voice of the voiceless was much stronger than any obstacle, fear or barrier. For example, I became a bail agent prior to being admitted into law school. I did not have the money to start such a business, but I needed to become an entrepreneur in order to afford law school. So, I contacted Bankers Insurance from the east coast. Every Friday, I religiously rode my bike for about 3-4 miles to fax over my resume to this surety company in hopes of getting an appointment as an agent and opening my own bail bonds. Numerous times, I got a phone call from the vice president of the company, asking me to please “stop sending them the same document every weekend.” They said they weren’t interested in hiring me; I lacked the financial security and experience necessary for an appointment. Did this stop me? Of course not. I continued to fax over my resume every Friday for the next four weeks until, finally, the appointment happened. I was almost immediately successful as a bail agent and, in turn, able to afford law school and go after the career I really wanted.

Sadly, I’ve seen so many talented Latinas settle for “good enough” even when they are more than qualified with all the right tools, experience and expertise needed to accomplish amazing things. I’ve seen them talk themselves out of opportunities, out of important rooms, out of big ideas, and out of coveted leadership roles. They accepted the limitations brought on by family, society or culture as the final say without ever questioning what’s really possible. While the odds have been stacked against our Latino community for ages, I also believe that there are more opportunities available for us today than ever before. We cannot, we must not settle simply because the world and those around us aren’t ready to see us become our full selves and reach our full potential. I propose a different approach: while we continue to fight for structural, institutional and systemic changes to end the injustices and inequality intentionally designed to hold us back, we also need to turn up the volume of our desires and allow them to be louder than our fears.

For example, my desire is to be the voice of the voiceless; to ensure that people who don’t have advocates or individuals protecting them have one in me. I want to open doors for other Latina attorneys who will come after me. I want to be the role model that I didn’t have growing up. I want other Latinas to see that it’s not impossible to be the change that they want to see in their family, community and country. I want them to see that we are more powerful together.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the founder and lead counsel for Zamora Law Boutique where I provide a variety of services including family law, criminal defense, personal injury, and lemon law to clients in the Coachella Valley. My passion and winning reputation have earned me the title of “The People’s Defender” or “The Ombudswoman” (“La Defensora Del Pueblo”.) Today I am known as a legal giant in my community as I work on behalf of the voiceless and powerless in the Coachella Valley. And now I am taking my story, lessons and advice across the country to inspire other women, particularly Latina women, to discover, ignite and reinvent themselves—to live the life they always dreamed of and become la mujer poderosa they are meant to be.

What makes you happy?
Serving others makes me happy because it allows me the privilege to express my gratitude with God for all that He has given me and provided in my life.

Contact Info:

• Email: hilda@zamorajustice.com
• Website: hildazamora.com and zamorajustice.com
• Instagram: Hilda_zamora_
• Facebook: Hilda Zamora