Founder - OEWofA
Maria Perez
You’ll learn a lot along the way, and, ultimately you’ll someday succeed. We learned through our trail of failure, now it your time to glow.
Maria Perez was born in San Antonio, Texas in the ’60s. In the late ’70s, she moved to the RGV with her family. Her alma mater is RGV High School when she had fond memories about life at the border. Maria was there for about 10 years or so when she came back to San Antonio in the late ’80s. She attended Pam-America University in 1983, Phoenix University in 1990, and Career Point in 1994 where she educated herself in business and healthcare.
Later, she transitioned her interest in the fashion world as a retail designer; working with exotic materials and varieties of patterns, styles, and sizes. She grew to understand the needs of many people from all walks of life as she was designing for customers from a wide area and demographics. This experience gave Maria the ability to view style and life from a different perspective and led her into retail where she managed an upscale department store. The various processes which help the customer procure merchandise allowed Maria to develop her administrative and leadership skills in her business portfolio.
She did requisite an education, training, and certification in cardiovascular technologist (also known as a vascular technologist) and worked as a technician at the McAllen Medical Center assisting doctors in caring for people and saving lives. This is where her love to reserve life was born. She thrives in an environment where you meet new people on a regular basis and becoming part of a team.
She says that “Superheroes” save lives. Later in life, Maria got her eye in the construction business, yet it was just something different and out of curiosity and more on a permanent purchase, within the construction industry. Being a “Jane” of all trades, Maria was considering a construction career with a friend. She flipping her house and eagerly learning the “ins and outs” of this new endeavor. She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty; dirt under her nails. She worked hard, dedicated, and did it for a few months. FYI, she flipped her own home and sold it in 2017, but realized this wasn't for her.
In 1997, Maria first owns her business in San Antonio; a child care development professional. She’s been running this business and now has 20+ years of experience working with children; from infants to 11 years of age, with that will fully utilize a diversity of skill sets. Maria is devoted to helping children think creatively, she has clerical knowledge and good in record-keeping, she is an active listener, has an understanding of the developmental disorder, reliable and punctual, approachable, experienced in medication administration, she has great life skills training, friendly and courteous, fluency in English and Spanish, possess excellent search, writing, childcare, and interpersonal relations skills, she is CPR certified and earned the First Aid and Baby syndrome certifications.
Caring for others was natural for Maria especially for our little people; our children. She opened a daycare center, where she operated as the Director of Operations. She hired several women, training them to be professionals in their practice of educating and nurturing children. She has a special place in her heart for these sweet innocent children. She still provides daycare center services from her current home to her faithful and loyal clients because of her constant, excellent, and kind consideration. Solve problems independently, and respect themselves and others. Her center offered quality standards to provide a safe developmental learning environment for young children. Preschool and child care center director’s direct and lead staff, oversee daily activities and prepare plans and budgets.
They are responsible for all aspects of their program and the children. Maria had the pleasure of volunteering at SAMMinistries (overcoming Homelessness), a privilege that comes with responsibility. She supported the homeless families going through trials and tribulations, and because she has been so blessed, her purpose is to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves. When she volunteered at the American Red Cross Serving San Antonio, she will never forget the first time she walked into the Lockland Air Force Base building, during the Katrina crisis. It felt like a warzone. She served the survivors for a couple of weeks.
Her concern for future generations is something personal and dear to Maria, she had a deep dark secret, that hunt her past but she has prevailed her demons. Their protection is essential and a God-given must. The majority of the people have children that they will safeguard with their lives. Maria was charged with protecting all people from something that is so taboo, Human Trafficking. This disgusting form of hatred was something Maria almost experienced for herself as a younger woman, almost sold to a gentleman from Spain as she herself was trafficked 34 years ago. She molded a belief and formed respect for humanity that later helped her to the formation of Our Empowering Women of San Antonio in 2015, which late established Our Empowering Women of America in 2018 an evolving organization toward human trafficking for human rights.
Now she advocated for the children and women, to raise their voice, awareness, support each other, educate generations, to be knowledgeable of their rights, and to join the conversation nationwide. As an owner of a 501 (c) (3), Maria was approached with many issues affecting the community. So many disrespectful and inhumane things that women had to share in order to heal and be effective business owners and open-up residual emotions, blocking their forward progression in the business. Maria noticed, how all these points correlate with each other. So, our society will be free from fear and able to prosper. Someone needs to advocate for these serious issues that go undetected. All of these, concerns led to the initiation to make a change through legislation. Maria's dream to get everyone involved with legislation in writing the proper bill to protect our innocence.
Maria also working on an organic and raw product, she loves green organic beauty. She starting to develop a formula of Belleza-Natural Organic. Where she will share beauty secrets for women of all ages and skin types naturally. Especially for women over 40, some seem to lose self-esteem and confidence. So Maria creates a take a home spa, for women that can’t afford a spa or doesn’t have time for themselves, from work and family leaves us to drain at times. The product can be made either raw or powder organic, the product is still in the process, but hopefully the year 2021 she will launch it. Now, she is getting back into the essence of life in beauty, health, and awareness.
The necessity moved Maria made to run for City Councilwoman of District 10 in 2018. It will be her first step in pursuing a "Stop” to trafficking because this affects the residents of San Antonio and damages families across the nation. It is Maria’s belief and confidence that we need an “Army” to defeat this and she is the leader that we need. Any crimes against women and families, “She” is your warrior. She is the woman you need on your side. Hearing her story will open your eyes to see “Why” she advocates against human trafficking and domestic violence, and is very passionate about raising awareness. She is a Conservative and understands the danger of the border. When she ran for the city council she learns a lot about our San Antonio leaders. Maria was trafficking for over 35 yrs. at the border and held this secret for as much as possible, until she saw where our country was heading.
