When I first dreamed up the idea to bring Spanish children’s books to bilingual families, it stemmed mostly from my own passion to make sure my kid(s) were raised to be bilingual. So many of the opportunities I’ve enjoyed (career-wise and personally) have come around because of the languages I speak, and I’m grateful that my own babies have come long after the generation where immigrants thought teaching their kids another language besides English would rob them of opportunities in the United States.
I’m thrilled beyond words to have found a partner in Univision. Through all the ups and downs of starting a business (lots of downs!), my biggest break came in winning Univision’s Vendeme tu Sueño contest. I went into the auditions with my baby business idea outlined on a sheet of paper, and I came away from this Shark-Tank style competition 6-months later with an actual small business and $30,000 worth of pledged media support from Univision. I’m grateful to the judges who caught the vision of celebrating the many different cultures under the Latinx/Spanish-speaking umbrella.
So, mi gente! Look out for those book boxes coming to your doors muy pronto! Every single book is so carefully chosen, and my hope is that it’s a seed parents plant at home with their children. I believe so strongly in the power of reading, and what I want most is for parents and kids to love to read en español too, and to be able to create those moments together. And now that dream is a big step closer!