The Story of Robin

THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON 

It was a hot, humid day. We had only been there for two hours and I was already smelling like the strong citrusy oranges we were picking.After what felt like a couple of hours, my younger sister Debbie and I were already getting drained by the sun and tried to hide under the orange trees to catch ourselves some shade. My dad yelled out “Girls we are not done yet,” and my sister and I look back at our 3rd half full 270L crate we were working on and looked at each other with a big sigh. By the afternoon, we only made $7.00 for filling up those crates and my sisters and I learned a valuable lesson that day.

FAMILY ROOTS

Both my parents were migrant workers growing up and traveled out of Texas multiple times  to find work with my grandparents. At times they had to sacrifice their time spent in school and sports in order to work and help their parents meet end needs. Therefore, when my sisters and I started complaining about school and the amount of work we had to do, my parents decided to take us to work in the field,picking oranges, so that we can learn what it really means to be tired and the importance of being in school rather than in the fields. 

MY PARENTS 

My parents grew up in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods called  Lopezville and Las Milpas. Five minutes away from the Mexican border. My parents are Jr. High school sweethearts and got married at the age of 16 and had my older sister Erica at the age of 17.  The odds of becoming successful was statistically against them. 5 years later I was born and my sister Debbie was born a year later. As our family grew, my parents knew they wanted to better their lives for the sake of our family. My father started working more jobs to support our family as my mother began to go back to school for college. I admire my father so much for sacrificing his hopes and dreams so that my sisters and I could have a better upbringing. My father is our rock and stability.  My mother was a first generation college graduate and paved the way of hope and motivation to her other siblings. Today my mother and her five sisters are all college graduates and obtain a Masters degree.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
My family and I after living in a small two bedroom and one bath home in my grandparents  2 acre lot, build a home in the suburbs in our city. On top of making our move to our brand new home, my youngest sister Cynthia Marie was only about a year old. My family and I grew up in church for as far as I can remember. We were actively involved in our church community and my parents were constantly reminding us of our morals and respect towards others and ourselves.My parents raised four strong women. We started traveling to places that we never thought  would be possible. My parents reaction whenever we arrived at a destination was my favorite. Here we were. A family of six who started our earlier years, economically disadvantaged, getting educated and traveling to places like Hawaii. My parents had surpassed the hispanic statistics of teenage parents. We were growing and changing for the better, together. Many hard lessons were learned growing up, but my parents constant support was and is greatly appreciated and valuable. 

SHAPING THE PERSON I AM TODAY

Growing up I was involved in numerous clubs, organizations and sports. However, my favorite two were Cheer and Softball. These two taught me many life lessons. I wasn’t always the best or fastest, but I always work hard to compete and earn a spot in the front or starting lineup. After highschool, I attended college for one year at Texas State, but being 5 hours away from home made me realize how close I was to my family. I then transferred and graduated from Texas A&M University of Kingsville.  There I was a part of the Javelina Cheer team, Fellowship Christian Athletes, and was nominated runner up for Homecoming Queen. My college experience was a thrill and also a time that I started making difficult adult choices. 

SERVING OTHERS 

I started teaching at the age of 23. I never thought of making teaching a career growing up, but I knew that serving people was a calling since I was young. I have always enjoyed taking on projects or working with people in making things better or creating their best version of themselves. I also have a lot of family members that work in education, so working in the education field did not come as a surprise to me. I am a servant of God and education gives me the ability to serve others in numerous ways. After teaching for two years, I knew I wanted to continue my education in education, so I pursued my Masters in  Educational Leadership with the principal certification. At the age of 25 I graduated with my Masters from the University of North Texas. 

STARTING MY BLOG

That same year, I decided to start my blog Runway Teacher.What was I thinking? I was working a full time job, coaching, and going to grad school while starting my blog. I knew I wanted to start an outlet that allowed me to collect moments while sharing fashion ideas with others! Yikes, I don’t know how I did, but I thank God and Coffee! I never knew where it was going, but I always thought, if I can reach out to at least one person, then I’m going the right direction.

GETTING MARRIED

At the age of 27, Michael and I got engaged. You can read our proposal story here. Michael has been such a strong supporter of my hopes and dreams. Michael sees me as strong wife that will be able to maintain a job, home and family. He sees a strong woman that will never give up, loves and respects. At the age of 28 Michael and I got married and moved into our brand new home. Our first year of marriage was full of firsts and you can read more about them here. 

AFTER EVERY STORM COMES A RAINBOW

Now just in case you’re thinking, nothing was ever a breeze for me. Some people had a start point and a few bumps on there straight shot to the end point. I however, like many, had plenty of bumps and curves to take while obtaining anything I have ever earned, with the grace of God. I know sometimes we get caught up with photos and think that we must have it all together, but trust me, I’ve had my failures, I’ve had my heartbreaks, and disappointments. But my husband, parents, sisters, and God motivate me to always move forward.  

HOW DOES SHE DO IT?

So how do I do it? The most common question I get. It is the work ethics and always give thanks motto that my father taught us.  It is the determination of accomplishing something that seemed so unreal to obtain from my mother. It is the knowledge and experiences that my older sister Erica passed down. It is the don’t put up with shit and keep fighting attitude from my sister Debbie. It is seeing the good and potential in everything and everyone from my youngest sister Cynthia. It is about taking some time for ourselves to appreciate the simple things in life like listening to the birds sing and rain fall that my nephew Justice has made me realized more than ever. It is the ongoing love and unconditional support I get from my husband Michael.It is the praise and encouragement I get from my family and friends! It is the trust and hope I have in God.  

       RUNWAY TEACHER TODAY

   Today, my blog over the years has significantly changed. So much has happened within the last four years of my life, that I now feel like I offer much more than just teacher fashion.  I have matured as a person, teacher, blogger, daughter, sister, and a wife. I have grown with a community of women where we support each other on our best and worst days. We are about lifting and leading each other to become the best version of ourselves. Runway Teacher is about inspiring other women that no matter what imperfections, accomplishments and failures we have gone through, we are here for each other and always try to make the best of those situations together.

 

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God Bless You Always!

♥ Robin 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whomyou learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15