who is Alma Valencia?
Early Life
From the heart of Los Angeles, California, Alma Valencia was raised in the small neighborhood of Eagle Rock, more specifically predominantly Latino Cyprus Park. Eldest of her family, with a little sister just a few years younger than her, Alma described her upbringing as “typical” for a first-generation, Mexican family. Both of her parents immigrated to the United States during the late sixties, early seventies and are of Mexican descent; on her father’s side she has connections to Mexico City, whereas her mother’s roots are from Michoacan. Growing up in a Spanish speaking household, Alma had to learn how to code switch between Spanish at home and English at school. In their home, Alma remarked how music was an important part of her family life. They enjoyed rancheras, Mexican eighties, rock and roll Spanish music, and English music like The Beatles. In addition to music, Alma’s family embraced their heritage through food and found comfort in traditional family recipes, “It was very rare to eat hamburgers and when we would get McDonalds it was a treat,” Alma stated.
As the eldest in her family Alma faced many challenges that came with language barriers and pressures that came from her being the oldest of her siblings. While in school, she recalled the times in kindergarten where she would speak Spanish, but later be harshly corrected by the teachers to speak only English exclaiming that “they would slap my hands”. Alma had a strict home life as well. She wasn’t allowed to have any sleepovers and if she did, it could only be with family. Even during her dating years she recalled she had the earliest curfew, “Be home by 10… if I dated anybody I would have to bring them home and introduce them to my dad, if he was okay, then I could go out with the young gentleman. Although I had set an example for my sister, the rules were relaxed by the time she was that age, and she enjoyed a less strict adolescent life compared to mine.”
Throughout their formative years Alma and her siblings attended a few local parochial schools: Divine Savior for elementary, St. Bernard’s for middle school, and then for high school they went to Sacred Heart in Lincoln Heights. While growing up her mother influenced her love for fashion design and art, whereas her dad wasn’t an artist himself, but he loved collecting art, sculptures and paintings. He would always take the family to museums and outings to embrace and immerse his children in their culture. Her father always felt that it was important for them to be involved in cultural arts. Alma’s passion for the arts has followed her throughout her life. Eventually, when applying to college Alma went to Woodbury University because she wanted to major in fashion design, she is reminded that originally she wanted to major in architecture, but fashion became her passion.
Career in the Fashion Industry
Alma graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, she soon had her son, and she began working in the fashion industry. Through friends and connections she started her career with a company called Azteca Productions which at that time was a manufacturer for denim lines such as Calvin Klein and American Eagle. Originally, Alma’s aspirations were to become a designer, but once she got into the fashion industry she realized that she loved the technical aspect of it, the numbers, the patterns and how to create a garment, how to fit a garment. Over the years Alma worked for various fashion industry powerhouses. She moved over to denim company Paris Blues, and from there transitioned to Guess for nine years, then to Forever 21, and finally Lucky Brand Company.
Life in South Pasadena
Alma married, still raising her son, Danny, living in Eagle Rock and Highland Park and finally settling down in Monterey Hills. As her son got older Alma moved him to South Pasadena Schools where he attended both SPMS and SPHS. Alma described the neighborhood of South Pasadena as a beautiful community as she appreciated the diversity and remembered her son loved that he could have friends from so many cultures. Even though Alma was pleased that her son had been exposed to a variety of different ethnicities and backgrounds, she believes that even though there are many Latino families that live in South Pasadena, they are not celebrated. “Of course we are celebrated in September for Hispanic Heritage Month, for Día de los Muertos, for our food, or Cinco de Mayo and that’s it. I think the Latino community in South Pasadena needs to be showcased more,” Alma urged. Noticing a lack of representation in South Pasadena, Alma believes that Latino contributions often can go unnoticed, that there is still more we can do and that needs to be done.
Alma is an active member of Vecinos de South Pasadena which aims to empower the Latinx community, as well as promote our city. She stated, “I really view the town as a whole, if I see something wrong happening I call it out. There are some communities in the LA area where if you are a renter you put your goggles on. You see nothing. You hear nothing. You don’t know anybody, don’t get involved. But I do, I get involved with my neighbors, the PTA at school, I promote businesses in our city, I donate, I participate… I am proud of that and all the changes that have happened in our city… I think it is for the better… I try to participate as much as I can.”
Raising Awareness for Caregivers
Unfortunately, as of 2017, Alma has had to leave her career in the fashion industry to help take care of her mother who suffers from dementia, acting as her primary caregiver. “Since then, everything evolved, due to Covid,” Alma explained. After her mother’s diagnosis, she had to leave her work and office life behind, becoming a full time caregiver, expanding on it by raising awareness of those who are suffering with dementia and how to help through various social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram where her following continues to grow. Alma is extremely proud to be offering her experiences to other caregivers who are just starting out their journey, and is happy that she is able to provide some comfort and relief for others so they are not as scared or lost. “If they are just taking care of their parents and they don’t know what to do, that is what I am here for.” Being a sandwich generation, taking care of her son and daughter, married with a little dog, it is a family affair Alma remarked, “We all do our part to take care of Grandma.”
With caregiving there are underlying challenges of how to balance life and have financial support. Alma is an IHSS Worker, which is a program that is provided in the state of California where the state pays her to take care of her mother. Currently her mom is in a program for a few hours of the day, and then she takes care of her for the rest of the evening. Alma reflected that with dementia patients, they tend to get up at night, have accidents, wander off, and how difficult it is to create balance in one’s life and maintain self-care for yourself. By publicly sharing her own journey, Alama has been able to find a sense of larger purpose as she is contributing to raising awareness and support of the caregiving life.
Greatest Impact and Role Models
The women in Alma’s life, her mother and grandmother, have had the greatest impact on her. Alma derives a strong work ethic from her mother, who was only 17 when she came to the United States and started working. Her grandmother as well has been a positive influence in her life, coming here from Michoacan with her children, right after losing her husband. Alma reflected on her grandmother’s influence, “ My grandfather was killed in Mexico. It was a very tragic, traumatic experience, but the fact that my grandmother still had the drive to continue and carry on for her family, coming to a completely different country and starting all over… that kind of strength is what I try to hone into.” These resilient and courageous women that have surrounded Alma continue to impact her perception of who she is for the better.
consejos/advice for the next generation of Latinas & Youth
“If you have an idea or if you have a passion, it doesn’t matter what it is, just pursue it… Especially in our Latino community… Not only pursue your passions, but really pursue them financially. Be financially knowledgeable, but also know your worth. That is something I tell my little girl… I tell her that she is worth something and she is going to be something amazing. Don’t think that you are limited to anything, where there’s a will there’s a way, you can figure it out. It doesn’t matter what you’re into… Anything that sparks your passion just go for it.”
