Join us for a conversation moderated by Rosanna Garcia honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month and shining a light on some of the magnificent leaders in the WomanUP!® Community.
During this session - we hear the fascinating leadership stories and what they are currently working on right now! We’ll also chat with them about their growth goals for the months ahead, as well as their favorite business planning tip for us to use in 2023.
Let’s talk about the history behind National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic Heritage Month originated as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.
This month holds many days that are significant in Hispanic History - September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. September 16th is Mexico’s Independence day and September 18th is Chile’s.
C.A.R. is celebrating Latino Heritage Month - Our LPN meets every second Tues of the month: https://carorg.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtdu-sqjgvGd1u_gYbsO1UHJTGjRscXPw0
Another way to join the conversation is to visit our Facebook page.
Members of our LPN community have been sending us their thoughts on Latino Heritage Month and C.A.R.’s Latino Professionals Network. Visit @carealtors on Facebook and Instagram all month to see what they’ve been saying.
Learn more about:
Rosanna Garcia:
Rosanna has been involved with real estate and Women’s Council all her life, since she was a little girl, her mother Eva Garcia would take her to meetings and conferences showing her the life of a Realtor, Volunteer and Leader. She purchased her first investment property before she graduated from college.
Rosanna returned to the family business, Garcia Realty, in 2003 and has never looked back. She loves helping clients achieve the American Dream and loves to help people invest in real estate. She and her husband also run a property management company where they oversee 200 units, including 10 of their own properties. She has served as President Women’s Council Sacramento, was honored with the Realtor of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year for the network. She is also involved in her local association and has served as a director for 7 years. She was also honored by being named Realtor of the Year for the Sacramento Association in 2018. She is an Outstanding Life Member of the local Master’s Club and She is the 2021 immediate past President of Women’s Council CA, she currently serves as a Director for C.A.R. and is Issues Chair of property management for the Investment Housing committee, she is a member of the Housing Opportunity committee at N.A.R. and is a Golden R President’s Circle member.
Claudia Diaz:
Claudia Diaz is a Global Real Estate Professional who has worked with Mexico over the last decade, Bringing Investor Clients over to the USA . She also invests in Mexico. Mrs. Diaz had the opportunity to experience the Global Trade Mission in Dubai this year Through The National Association of REALTORS® Claudia has also been invited to conduct Global awareness at Women's Council Of REALTORS® NATIONAL GLOBAL MASTERMIND Claudia currently serves as District Vice President for District #3 for The Women's Council of REALTORS® California, and is Immediate Past President for Women's Council of REALTORS®
South Bay Network.
She is an active member for N.A.R. GLobal Business and Alliance Committee and is Currently Serving as Education Director for NAHREP/South Bay Chapter.
For C.A.R. She is incoming 2023 C.A.R. Director and 2023 Vice Chair for Communications Advisory Committee. She is a Current Member of Investment Housing,Communications Advisory and Diversity and Inclusion and honored to serve as a member of LPN. In her Local South Bay Association she serves in the Global Committee,Government Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Incoming 2023-2025 Board Of Directors. Her objective is to help REALTORS® guide their clients on Global investing and share the endless benefits of being a Global REALTOR® This month she celebrates her 1 Year Anniversary of becoming a MexicanCitizen(Dual Nationality)
Claudia started investing in1998, Real Estate Professor and Mother. She has been a Licensed REALTOR® for the past 22 years. She was born and raised in the South Bay. Her awareness of Real Estate began at a very young age. Claudia’s ultimate joy was to help immigrants accomplish the “American Dream” of Home ownership. As a child of an Immigrant, She was able to see the challenges and language barriers her parents experienced. Claudia is grateful for being Bilingual therefore wanted to be a Blessing for Spanish Speaking Clients and be their voice. . Through her mother and professor as mentors she was able to achieve her objective. Claudia and Her husband have owned their Management Company since 1998 of which they help others in addition to managing their own Portfolio which also includes Commercial. Claudia took a 10year hiatus from Real Estate when she had her first child. 3 kids later and 10 years later she is back and is highly motivated to thrive and help others continue to achieve personal growth and Real estate success. Currently, she enjoys volunteering in her community and in her Industry.
Vilma Letosky:
Unable to finance her educational aspirations in her home country, she obtained a student visa and earned her degree in Hotel Administration. But soon, the desire to have autonomy and flexibility over her schedule to better balance her life as a mother, wife and career-woman, led her to a profession in real estate. And she’s never looked back.
With nearly 30 years in the industry and the broker/owner of Harcourts Bella Vista Realty, in Canoga Park, California, Letosky has established the respect of her peers and experienced success. But her mission remains the same – to empower her community through homeownership. “Homeownership is a vehicle for families to start building wealth. The best satisfaction for me has been finding homes for people who don't even know they can own their own home instead of renting.”
Letosky forwards her mission by making it her priority to help the Latinx community overcome language barriers in their homeownership journeys. She states, “I want to be the very best REALTOR® and be able to advise my clients whether it is in Spanish or English. This means that I have to continue educating myself and only then, can I be the best guide for my clients and a better mentor for my agents.” Through her work, Letosky continues to open up the doors to homeownership for many families, but in 2010 she wanted to do more.
Luisa Zepeda:
Luisa began her licensed real estate career as a New Home sales consultant in San Diego in 2004. Her first clients were primarily first-time homebuyers so that joyous feeling when handing over the keys continues to be the reason that she is passionate about Real Estate and creating Generational Wealth.
In 2009, Luisa joined a high-volume real estate investment company that really set the stage for her in real estate. As a Senior Broker Assistant, she facilitated thousands of closings throughout Nevada, Northern and Southern California. She currently is a REALTOR® with eXp Realty and the owner of Brilla Real Estate and Meraki by Luisa (a creative marketing company). Luisa is also a Life Insurance Broker with The Financial Architects where she focuses on protecting the American Dream by offering families income & mortgage protection solutions that also help leave a legacy for their loved ones.
Luisa had the privilege of being mentored by some great professionals in her early years in the business. The core values, discipline and professionalism instilled in her by her mentors, are what she uses as a benchmark to pay it forward as a mentor to newer licensees. She recently passed her Broker Real Estate examination for that same reason. Luisa currently serves on the Board of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP). She is dedicated to helping educate, empower, and advocate for all and especially for her Spanish speaking community. She is on a mission to end generational poverty lines.
Felicia Mares:
I’m an entrepreneur, traveler, aunt, creative, community volunteer, and lover of all things real estate. Born and raised in the Bay Area, I am grateful to help home buyers and sellers accomplish their real estate dreams in my favorite place in the world.
From studying human Psychology, to running after kids as a nanny, to building my career as a successful Realtor – I have maintained a sense of curiosity and independence in everything I do. My eagerness to learn has pushed me to be a student of my craft and has encouraged me to find solutions where there seem to be none. I am able to express my ingenuity by creating unparalleled marketing ideas and unique strategies to support my clients’ real estate goals.
By keeping the human factor top of mind, I can promise my unwavering support and attention while maintaining a genuine relationship with the agent on the other side of the deal which is key to a smooth real estate transaction.
With a background in education and childcare, my focus is placed on educating my clients to the Bay Area market, guiding first-time homebuyers through the home buying process, and cultivating ways sellers can get the most out of their investment.
You can expect to be guided with honesty, authenticity, sensitivity, and a bit of humor throughout the process. Through the trust of my clients, I was able to shoot to the top of my brokerage, Abio Properties, within my first year in real estate. For that, I am forever grateful. I’ve prioritized giving back to the real estate industry by becoming a leader in my local association as well as with the California Association of Realtors.
My clients receive my wholehearted attention, enthusiasm, and an entire team who has their back. In my spare time, you can find me chowing down on French fries, listening to the latest podcasts, and getting walked on by my cat, Pasquale.