My Roots: Luisa del Rosal

“I grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico. The reason I’m so attracted to Texas is because Chihuahua has the same idea of rugged individuality. That really helped in the spirit I bring to leadership. Mexico, for 71 years, was not really a democracy. There was a lot of movement to change that, and that came from Chihuahua. My parents were trailblazers. My mom doesn’t have a college degree, and my dad was a parent while he was going to college. I was a little bit of a surprise for my parents. My sisters are 18 and 15 years older than me. My parents thought they were home free, and I was like, ‘Hello!’ My sisters lived a lot of the struggles of my parents because they were so young when they got married. When I came along, my father was much more established. So I always felt so grateful for what I grew up with. Being the last kid, I always wanted to make my own space in the family. My grandfather used to always sit me on his lap on this big chair and tell me I could be whatever I wanted to be. I took it to heart. I wanted to be just like him. I grew up in a very conservative, Catholic family. But my father and grandfather saw in women that they could lead, which is very different than most people from Mexico. Mexico is still a very traditional place. Here I know women can do things. I’m going to take the bull by the horns because I know I wouldn’t have the chance at home.”  READ MORE