Fatima Perez-Luthi | YWCA Women of Excellence Honoree
What inspires you to get up and do the work?
I would have to say that what inspires me to get up and do the work is knowing that there is opportunity that is brought by a new day . In my life, I have failed many times and made many mistakes both professionally and personally and have came to peace that I will continue to fail and make mistakes. Its the cost required for growth and with growth there is pain but there is also opportunity to change or mold your self into the person you know you can be.
What have you learned about yourself through the challenges you have overcome?
What I have learned about myself through the challenges I have overcome is that I am more than what my ethnicity, race, sex and color portray me to be. The challenges I have faced through adversity have made me stronger and I am in control of who I am, how others see me and what my present and future hold.
How do you take care of yourself?
I am intentional and aware on what my person needs emotionally and physically in both my professional and personal life. This can be a challenge because when life gets heavy or things go wrong you have to adapt but it makes such a difference when I set time aside on Sundays to reflect on my prior week (what went wrong, what went right, what I shouldn't have taken on or what I should have taken on) and the coming up week and where my focus and energy should lie. I also take a look at my schedule to make sure my responsibilities as a employee, entrepreneur, student, friend, mom, wife, child and of myself are being met but that its not at the expense of my sanity.
What is the best advice you've ever been given? Or what advice do you have for others?
The best advice I have been given would be to be myself unapologetically. Being an immigrant I lived a life of adversity and always felt that it was wrong to be different because the food I ate looked and smelled different, I looked different and my home life was different. It wasn't until I became a mom that I stopped living with the fear of letting people know who I was and where I came from. This realization came at 21yrs of age and even though it is a young age, I couldn't believe that for 21yrs I lived in fear and lived my life how society told me I should.
What is your vision for our community? Has it changed through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of recent years?
My vision for our community is to build a healthy and divers community by relying on community businesses and community members to pool together resources, partnerships and collaborations. A community where everyone has fair and equitable opportunity for housing, education, child care and healthcare.
The mission of YWCA is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. What does YWCA's mission mean to you?
The YWCA's mission to me is dear to my heart because I grew up thinking there was no one out there looking out for those that looked like me and thought that life was all about surviving instead of living. The YWCA is giving hope and love to those in need when others turn their backs on them. The mission of the YWCA is bigger than one person and it takes a village to make a difference.
