Elvira Zubia

“Be the best version of yourself that you could be. Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

(Excerpt from an interview with Rozario Zubia, Paralegal, Financial Professional, Proud Mom)
California, USA

My mom was born in Mexico and she came to the States when she was 29 years old. She didn't come with much other than a strong desire to get ahead in life. She had three children when she came here, then she met my father and they started a beautiful life together. She was revolutionary in the drive to make a difference and being a homeowner. Both my parents worked very hard. They purchased their first house about three years into their marriage, their second house two years after that, they purchased rental properties so between 1963 and 1972, they had purchased four properties and sent all seven children to private schools.

My dad really credited mom for the assets they’ve been able to accumulate. He was a very calm and hardworking man and went along with whatever she planned. And he used to say, “if it wasn't for your mom, we would have been content with one property but she wanted more for us, and she had a vision”. Mom (and dad) ingrained in all of us the significance of determination, hard work, and how all that pays off. Anything that had to do with business, she would get involved with. She was curious about how people made money and learned what she could do to participate in getting ahead and making money.

My mother always said, “Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify. Learn as many things as you can learn. You don't know what life brings. You grab on from one branch and another to get what you need to move ahead and be successful.” I’ve taken on being diversified and learned as many things as I have to get ahead in life. When I got divorced and became a single mom of 4 children, I’ve taken on learning and taking on different careers to ensure I was always financially stable. I've been a paralegal for 25 plus years, and I've been in financial services for almost ten years, I have my real estate license as well. I’ve had an amazing referral business that provides additional income stream while I keep being a paralegal. And I’ve had other previous careers where I’ve grown and developed myself, enriched my experience of life, and met extraordinary people who 30 plus years later are still my friends.

My mom was a beautiful balance of determination and love. She taught me and all of my siblings to “Be the best version of yourself that you could be. And to treat others the way you want to be treated”. She was such a demonstration of this advice as well. It didn't matter that she had a strong accent when she spoke English, somehow she was able to communicate and connect with people. People always remembered her, whether it was at the bank that she goes to, or a store she frequents, their staff knew her by name. Mom made it a point to remember people and always had something nice to say like “oh, I like your earrings or that's a beautiful color on you”. She always complimented people. And I remember in the latter part of her years when I was taking her to her doctor visits, the doctors and the staff knew her. Not only because she was nice, she always did something extra special like taking flowers or lemons to them from her garden. Sometimes she would cook and take them food. She always cared about people, and did thoughtful things for them. My mom’s kindness extended even in her business. If there were single ladies and single moms who desperately needed a place to stay, she would let them stay there rent free and would feed them. They would come to the house and be fed and just eat with all of us, like we were family until they could get back on their feet. Whatever it took, she really did make a difference for many, many people along the years.

She was a role model for a lot of things but especially in being kind and helpful to people. People around me usually comment about how I go the extra mile for people, even strangers. Any time any one is struggling speaking in English whether I'm standing in line to wait for something at a doctor’s office, the pharmacy or whatever office, I run up to where they are and I volunteer to translate, and help out. They don’t need to call me, I’m just there. And I genuinely want to make a difference. I want to make it easier for that person to be heard or be tended to. With my circle - my family, friends, clients — I'm constantly checking how I can make a difference for them with whatever they need, whatever service they need. I'm there to help and when I don't know the answer, I call people who may know the answer. I surround myself with incredible and helpful people - whether it's an attorney, an accountant, therapist, a counselor, you name it. Even prayer groups, I reach out to them so that they can pray for people who I know need help.

Mom raised us with a lot of love and affection and structure at the same time. She was no pushover and I am so grateful that the values, traditions of our Mexican culture was kept alive, and celebrated in our home. And I've kept those traditions with my kids to this day. Every December, we make tamales, and it's a heck of a lot of work, and I've done it every single year. Now my kids are doing the same, and it has become a beautiful opportunity for us to enjoy quality family time.