Success is never just about individual effort, it’s about the people, values, and environments that shape and sustain us. As I reflect on my journey, one truth stands out clearly: I worked hard, yes, but I never walked alone.

Growing up in a challenging neighborhood, the odds weren’t exactly in my favor. I didn’t always understand the dangers around me or the reasons behind the limits my mother placed on me. I used to feel frustrated that I couldn’t go out and play around the block of Wyatt Street in the Bronx, like some of the other kids. But now, as an adult, I understand. That was her way of protecting me from influences I was too young to recognize, but I now see clearly.

At that age, I couldn’t always distinguish between neighbors working 8-to-8 jobs to provide for their families and others taking riskier paths to survive. Those lines were blurry to a child. But my mother’s love, her decisions, and her values created a bubble of protection that allowed me to grow up safe, focused, and guided.

That “no” was that bubble of love. It protected me from influences of the reality of the circumstances that faced us but had to endure because this was the land of opportunities and we had to work hard to one day beat the odds. I now understand that my family, especially my mother, built invisible walls around me not to keep me in, but to keep me safe. Of course, these are decisions that, with a blink of an eye, change the entire path of someone's success story.

In the struggle of survival, at 14, I started working. It kept me busy and focused, which left me little time for distractions. I had school, work, and went out on the weekends with my uncle to birthday parties celebrated at people’s apartments—just enough to stay grounded. My uncle also played a key role. He welcomed my mom, my sister, and me into his one-bedroom apartment, where he lived with his family, and we took the space of the living room. It was cramped, but it was filled with love and the people we knew. When I arrived in the U.S. in 1997, the idea was to move in with my mom’s cousin who lived in Brooklyn with kids my age but was living off the welfare system, and the kids were not doing so well in school. My uncle knew where that could lead us, and he came to get us from Brooklyn, a move that likely changed the entire course of my life.

And then I think about the angels—mentors. The woman counsel at the U.S. embassy who told me, “You’re going to the U.S., but you must go to school.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant. But her words planted a seed of hope, of focus and obedience, a direction I couldn’t articulate, but I could feel.

Even with all this support, life wasn’t a straight line. I was not perfect. I got married young and became a mother at 20. Suddenly, the odds, already difficult, became even steeper. I thought I had failed. Economically and socially, I was navigating a new reality. I was no longer just trying to build a future for myself—I had a child depending on me too.

But this is exactly when support systems matter most.

I was a full-time mom, a full-time student, and I held a full-time job. The days were long. The responsibilities were heavy. But the drive in me was stronger than ever. I wanted better—not just for me, but for my child. And again, I wasn’t alone. I had my mother, who stood by me through the tears and fear of feeling my life was over and I was going to be a college dropout. But no, she told me, “Don’t cry, I am here to help you.” Those words gave me confidence, pride, and energy to make my child a motivation, not an excuse. With love and asking for help, things changed. I had mentors who kept pushing me to stay in school. I had coworkers who became family, Iris and Maria, and employers like Lourdes who saw my determination and gave me a chance.

This chapter of my life was not easy. But it was filled with grace, grit, and a relentless belief in what was possible. I know there are so many others out there doing their best to make it work with far fewer resources, and sometimes without the love or guidance I was blessed with. That’s why I never take my story for granted. It is the reason why it is worth sharing—we rise by lifting others.

It would be unfair to assume everyone has a loving family, a guiding mentor, or even a safe place to sleep at night. The truth is that many people are trying to beat the odds with far less than I had. I think about what would have been if I was alone, going to school, working full-time, and having a child. That’s why we must extend grace, offer help, and be the support system someone else might need.

And yes, I worked hard, and I did not make any excuses to get things done. But I had love. I had a family. I had people who believed in me and supported me in all my adventures. And that made all the difference.

To those who are still in the fight, still building while carrying so much: keep going. And to those who have the power to uplift someone else—do it. We rise higher when we rise together.