MAKING AN
Impact
How one Valley couple is leading by example to teach their children the importance of making a difference. By Monique Seleen | Photos by Kate Reed
C
armen and Francisco Heredia are working in influential careers not only to serve the community around them, but also in an effort to teach their three children the importance of making an impact.
The two met while attending Arizona State University pursuing their undergraduate degrees and
wound up both working with at-risk youth in an underserved community. “I saw him working with the kids and parents and thought he was cute,” said Carmen, and the rest is history. They’ve now been together over 18 years and married for 15 of those years. After college, Francisco put his Political Science degree to use and began working his way into the political atmosphere. He went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and now serves on the Mesa City Council as an elected official, while also working as a political consultant and running his own printing company. Carmen, who got her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Social Work, originally thought she would follow in her parents’ footsteps and go into direct care as a social worker. “My parents were social workers and I think the world of people who do that for a living,” she said. “I learned very quickly that it wasn’t for me. It takes an emotional toll on you as the person providing the service. Going through that made me realize we need system changes and more access to healthcare, and I started thinking bigger picture.” Eventually, Carmen found her way to Valle Del Sol, a community health organization that focuses primarily on the mental health, primary care, and leadership development of Latinos. As a Mexican immigrant herself, Carmen not only had a personal connection to the community Valle del Sol serves, but also saw it as an opportunity to make an impact in her career field. Now, for the past two and a half years, she has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the company where she spends majority of her time looking for ways to grow the organization and its outreach in the community.
38 December 2021 RaisingARIZONAKids.com
