Lilian Peña
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

“Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.’’

I GET this quote… because I came from a very low-income level. My dad arrived here with only his mom’s blessing in his pockets. He left her behind one holy morning in the small town of Ahuachapán, E.S. 🇸🇻 We lived on 22nd Street in the Mission, then we stayed with my uncle in Daly City, for some time, until we could be on our own. We stood in line at War Memorial for government cheese, and my mom would make quesadillas with slices from that orange block, which came in a thin, cardboard box. I remember the taste. It was a supplement for the calcium I needed to grow healthy, but we stopped getting it soon as we didn’t need that hand-up.

When you’re starting from the “bottom,” sky’s the limit and nothing seems crazy, nothing is radical, outrageous or out of reach. We dreamed, and dreamed, and hoped and had faith. I lived through my parent’s hard work, the long hours, the weekends, their stable jobs, the side hustles — Tupperware parties, the Mary Kay set-ups in homes of strangers… how badly I wished my mom would be awarded a Pink Cadillac, like the ladies with the perfect hair who drove them.

My parents worked hard, yet played harder — my playground was the soccer fields my dad would play on or referee at — Beach Chalet, Balboa, Orange Park. Juanito and his wife, Licha, would make the best carne asada tacos, with a side of delicious beans, for sale to all the fans. #RIP. I realize now, they were vying for a living just like we were. Collecting aluminum cans and finding loose change on the floor were “games” my dad had us play, really they were money in our pockets. And because of all this, I never wanted for anything… not things, nor attention. We had it all, in my eyes.

I could write a book of the journey from the little girl you see on top of this Ford wagon to where I work and what I do today. I dreamt of being a career woman like my mom — she would dress in her pant and skirt suits for her bank job (she started as a teller, then moved to management, at Pan American on Geneva). I dreamt of being on TV, like my dad. (Side note: he was a Univision Sports Anchor for 25 years). I became both. If I could share all the things I’ve been privileged to be a part of in my career journey, it would seem like a crazy dream to you.

Were my dreams crazy enough? Yes. They were. And I’m not done dreaming yet. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”~Walt Disney

    Lilian Peña

    Written by

    Sales & Marketing. All I Really Need To Know I Learned from DMB. Salvadoreña-Americana.