Living the American
Dream Araceli Hernandez has made her dreams come true through hard work and love By Margaret Pennock Photos by Maggie Sweets Photography Makeup by American Beauty SD | Hair by Tonasha
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s a little girl growing up in an apartment in Los Angeles, Araceli had big dreams to someday own her own house. Today, she and her husband Ignacio have built themselves a small real estate empire spanning from California to Iowa. A real life ‘Flip or Flop’ success story, Araceli has found her place in the real estate investment world that all started in Sioux Falls. Born in Mexico, her widowed mother moved her family to Los Angeles to support her family. Araceli shares, “My mother was a very brave and courageous women when she decided to move our family which included five kids by herself when father passed away when I was three. She’s my hero to this day.” She recalls the challenges of moving back to Mexico at 10, returning to California when she was 12. “When we moved back to Mexico it was a whole new experience for me. In the Mexican village where we lived we didn’t have necessities like modern plumbing and bathrooms.” She continues, “It was hard at the beginning because I was used to living with privileges such as transportation, education and running water. I’m grateful that my mom made the decision to move and that she moved us back to see the difference. We are more than blessed to be part of this country.” At just 21 years old, Araceli and her husband Ignacio along with their youngest son Alex were living in northern California when her brother encouraged her to join him in Sioux Falls. “My brother followed his girlfriend home to Sioux Falls because she missed her family and wanted to return to them. When he got here he saw a lot of opportunities for everyone because of the low unemployment plus housing was affordable so I thought, ‘Why not?’”
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SiouxFallsWoman.net | February/March 2022
