McCormick Foundation-3

I have decided to apply for the McCormick Foundation New Media Women Entrepreneurs Grant for Entrepreneurs. The Application is AWESOME because it encourages you to focus and have clarity in your life about what it is that you want to accomplish and how you are going to move your business forward. For me, the questions are spot on and the character limits, mean I have to think very carefully about what I want to write and be succinct. If you are looking for funds for a particular project, even if you do not think you are a good match for Fredrickson Grant, then fill out the application fields. This will help you gain clarity about what you want to accomplish, how you want to accomplish it, and why you are the best person for the job. The application is due on January 27, 2011. I am planning on posting my responses to the 10 questions, one a day for the next ten days. I will welcome any feedback or ideas you’d like to offer. If you want to join me on this journey, please feel share your journey. I am very excited about this. Soon, I will be looking for Latina artists, graphic designers, web-developers, and ebook developers to help me get LAUNCHED...may the journey begin.

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos adelante,
Zulmara

3) This is what I've been doing with my life and my proudest accomplishment to date: (3000 characters)

My proudest moment to date has to be when I walked across the stage at my doctorate graduation from the University of California in Santa Barbara in 1994. I earned my doctorate, in Education, Policy, Organizations, and Leadership, as a Latina working full time as a kindergarten teacher, supporting my family and raising 3 children, ages 1, 3 and 6 at the time I entered the program. My kids were 5, 8, and 11 when I finished. It was a proud moment not only for me and my nuclear family, but for my extended family as well. Having come from Brazil with nothing when I was 2 years old, it was a great accomplishment and I am still the only one in my family to graduate with a Doctoral degree.

My second proudest moment was when I purchased my first house, for my mom. My mom had sacrificed so much for her children to have a better life. She came to this country with nothing but the clothes on her back and she managed to instill in all of us a sense of pride, ownership, and duality in both our heritage and adopted cultures. She was an amazing woman who held her family together from sheer will. My third proudest moment was having our story published in Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. It is my heartfelt story that inspires me to this day, knowing that she gave me roots to stay grounded and wings to soar.

Other proud moments include my first professional publication, my first job as an administrator, my first job as a professor, and my first job as an administrator within the University System. I have accomplished a lot with my life and I am now ready to pay it forward.

I have been an educator all of my life. I started off as a Kindergarten Teacher in a multi-lingual class and working with Latinos has been my passion all my life. Next, I moved into a leadership position and became Director of the Migrant Program at the School District where I worked. Later, I wrote and was awarded an Even Start Grant and I became the Director of a Family Literacy program. When I finished my doctorate, I began working at a University as a professor and now I work in higher education administration.

Throughout my career, my avocation has been my vocation. I love what I do and I do what I love. And in the process, I have developed many tools to help others succeed. I have been an inspirational speaker to many Latino groups, I have written numerous articles about Latinos in education, and conducted more workshops, presentations, and seminars than I can count on motivating Latinos to go to school, get an education, start a business, give back to their families and give forward to their communities.

I have started my own consulting company, Roots and Wings. Roots and Wings will allow me to focus my work for a uniquely Latina market. I have been working on blogging on a regular basis and building an infrastructure for taking my ideas to the next level. My blog is just now getting started, but I am planning on reaching a wide audience within the next year. On my blog, I have personal and professional growth ideas for individuals that will help them with what they want to accomplish. This is where all that I have learned in the past 20 years comes to fruition. I have developed curriculum and written manuals on personal and professional development. I am now ready to soar to the next level by developing ebooks and ecourses with a focus on Latina success.

I have achieved most of the goals I have set for myself. Currently, as I enter into the next phase of my journey, my goal is to build a million dollar business to help Latinas to experience the euphoria and jubilation that I feel everyday as I pursue my dreams and make my passion my reality.