12/24/2015
HSF Partners: Javier Palomarez, President & CEO, USHCC
Mr. Palomarez grew up as a migrant farm worker based in South Texas, with his mother, whom he describes as the person most influential during his upbringing. She raised him and his nine siblings by herself, while working full time.
“We did not have a glamorous life, but she taught me some very fundamental lessons, which I continue to live by,” he said of his mother, adding, “I feel blessed to have grown up the way I did; it taught me about the dignity of a hard day’s work, the importance of setting and achieving goals, the value in serving others, and the need to honor my responsibilities.”
He recalls that he and his siblings went through difficult times following his mother’s death, when he was still a teenager. He dropped out of high school and struggled to find the motivation to take control of his life.
But he says he ultimately realized that he had a simple choice: either break the cycle of adversity, or be broken by it. He adds that the paradigm-shifting moment for him was realizing that “our lives aren't our own; they’re paid for by the lifelong struggles of those who came before us…I owed it to my mother to give meaning to her sacrifices by living a rich life.”
His renewed sense of purpose led him to get his GED. Then, through a Wall Street Journal Student Achievement award, he was able to pay for college and graduated from the University of Texas Pan American with a degree in Finance. “It’s through awards like the one I received, and those [awarded] through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, that many of us have been given a second chance at reaching our full potential,” he commented.
Today, in his work as the President & CEO of the USHCC, he is a an active champion of Hispanic entrepreneurs. His organization advocates on behalf of nearly 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that together contribute in excess of $661 billion to the American economy, each year. USHCC strives to place the Hispanic business community at the forefront of the nation’s economic agenda—through its activities in Congress, the White House, state capitols, and corporate headquarters around the nation.
His advice to students getting ready to graduate college is that it’s important to start with a vision, then take the necessary steps, no matter how insurmountable they may seem, to make that vision a reality. “That’s something I attribute to my upbringing, early experiences, time in college, and in the workforce: if you want something badly enough, eventually, through steely resolve and pure hard work, you can do it,” he said.
