Alumni Spotlights
Alumna gives back
M immigrated to the United argarita Avila ’12
States from Durango, Mexico at the age of 14. Her parents, grocery store owners, didn’t have the opportunity for higher education and wanted to make sure all four of their children received the best education to ensure their success, which would mean leaving their hometown in Mexico. Jesús Avila ’01 is Margarita’s eldest sibling. He had graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a degree in chemistry and was working in Madison, Wisconsin, when he suggested to his parents that Margarita could stay with him while she pursued her education in the United States. With her parents’ blessing, Margarita moved to Wisconsin where Jesús, 11 years her elder, took on the role of parenting her. Margarita fondly remembers those years. She said although it was not easy, she learned to become more independent, and her brother made sure she stayed grounded in her faith. They spent their Sundays together, which always included attending church. Margarita’s sister Nancy Avila ’08 graduated from WLC with a degree in business. As a senior in high school, Margarita visited Nancy at WLC and even participated in an overnight event where she got to experience what it would be like to be a Warrior. Margarita shared: “I had a great time. I got to meet so many
12 | Fall/Winter 2021
BY SERVING AND MENTORING OTHERS
incredible people. I loved the environment. I knew then that I would also attend WLC.” During her time on campus, Margarita was blessed with great mentors. She appreciated that the faculty and staff were Christian servant leaders, as modeled by the Divine Servant statue on the campus quad. Christian servant leadership impacts how Margarita approaches her career today, “The statue is a great symbol and what I think of when I remember my time at WLC. We should think of ourselves as servant leaders and stewards, not bosses or CEOs. We need to set good examples and be role models.” As a communicative arts major, Margarita took many classes taught by Amanda Retberg ’95, a professor in the Communication Department at that time. Retberg stressed to Margarita the importance of being professional in all you do. “I learned so much in her classes. She was a great mentor and instructor. She was always there to answer questions.” Margarita earned credits toward her WLC degree with an internship at ESPN in Milwaukee. She learned a lot, became a sports fan, and was even promoted to a new role during the experience. Margarita met many people and expanded her network through the events she was able to attend during her internship. She was ultimately offered a position to
work for ESPN after graduation in a sales role, but decided a better fit would be with MiVoz. com. Margarita put to use the marketing, social media, and public relations skilled she learned at WLC to help the online community calendar company thrive in Milwaukee and expand to Chicago. At WLC, Margarita was a student worker for Pathways to College, a program for firstgeneration college students and their families. A connection from that position networked Margarita to her next career move. Margarita followed mentor Azure’De Williams from Pathways to College to the American Heart Association. Margarita began as an administrative assistant and worked her way up to a director within three years. After a stint in real estate, Margarita was encouraged by her brother Jesús to consider a position with the Latino Academy of Workforce Development in Madison. She applied and now two years later is their director of workplace development.
