Yvette
“Women need to know that femininity doesn’t break a good leader. Be bold enough to lead. Be rough, be soft, be whoever you want to be.”
Yvette’s strength and resilience emerged from challenges she faced at a young age. She has proven that women can lead, whether it be in the home as a single parent or in job sectors that are predominantly male like the military. She has embraced her femininity and all of the power that comes with it, encouraging and reminding other women to do the same. Meet Yvette. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
Y: Hello, my name is Yvette Hernandez. I used to not like using the word single mother because I didn’t think I fit the title. My daughter’s dad is in her life. He just lives in a different state so I have her full time.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
Y: I’m a single parent who is also a recruiter for the military. I’m a small business owner and for lack of better words, I did things “backwards”. I had a child young, got divorced young, bought a house young but waited until I was almost 30 to go back to college.
K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
Y: My favorite thing about myself is that I am resilient and love to motivate others.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
Y: At the age of 24, I started working in a military warehouse for a high-ranking male. I ran a 5 million dollar warehouse alone because my supervisor at the time was away. I did an amazing job for a year and right before my supervisor came back, the high-ranking official came and paid me a visit. He applauded my accounting skills and told me I was “DOING A GOOD JOB FOR A GIRL”. I know men don’t get told they’re “doing a good job for being a boy”. From that point on, I decided to be that GIRL. I use to be a hater and would frown upon girly girls in uniforms because I was brainwashed into believing it wasn’t proper. Femininity didn’t belong in a job that was built upon wars. That day changed my perspective.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
Y: I wish my younger self would have known better. I wish 23 year old me would have empowered other women instead of looking at their femininity as a flaw. People will see what they want to see and think what they want to think so you must do what you want to do and think what you want to think.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
Y: Women can be bosses in a pink power suit. Women are strong, bold, beautiful, and being a woman simply means to be whoever you want to be. That’s my goal in life right now. I want to empower women to be whoever they want to be. I’m a Latina single mother. I have a lot of obstacles but they do not hinder my success. Don’t allow your obstacles to hinder yours.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
Y: There is no “ONE”. ALL women inspire me. Women need to know that femininity doesn’t break a good leader. Be bold enough to lead. Be rough, be soft, be whoever you want to be.
