There are few self-improvement books representative of Latinx women’s narratives and experiences as business entrepreneurs in a white-male dominant industry, but Janet Escobar, 2019 San Jose State business alumna, is changing that.
Escobar published her book “The Latina Trailblazer” in late 2021.
The soft pink book cover features a woman in the center wearing a Mexican style embroidery pattern on her slick black suit along with dangly earrings, a style not usually supported on Wall Street.
“There is a lack of these types of books because many times Latina women have so many blocks to get to where they want,” said Andrea Chavez, a justice studies senior. “But even more I think the books lack exposure, how often do we hear about them? Almost never.”
Escobar grew up in Hawthorne, a predominantly Latinx area in Los Angeles County with her mother who immigrated from Guadalajara, a city in Jalisco, Mexico.
Escobar’s book offers insight stemming from her experiences and perspective as a first-generation entrepreneur and includes interviews with women Latinx business founders.
“I wrote [The Latina Trailblazer] for students and Latinos who have immigrant parents and might feel lost or alone,” Escobar said in a Zoom interview.
Escbar said she learned to be instinctively resourceful in her everyday life, by repurposing empty cans as tupperware, for example.
Escobar said her early childhood experiences and environment shaped her identity and led her to take an interest in business.
“I was surrounded by paleteros and the entrepreneurial spirit within the community, always selling stuff in the corners,” said Escobar. “Just seeing my parents and seeing immigrants work so hard no matter what, it was just so inspiring.”
Escobar said women of color in business tend to have a difficult time getting their foot in the door compared to white businessmen.
According to a Nov. 2022 TechCrunch article, women business founders are less likely to receive venture capital investment than their male counterparts.
TechCrunch is an online newspaper focused on high tech and startup companies, according to its website.
Venture capital is invested money in a project or startup business by a firm or financing group in which there is a substantial risk involved, according to a Nov. 8, 2021 Investopedia article.
Landing roles or positions in entrepreneurship may cause waves of imposter syndrome and self doubt, Escobar said.
Escobar was inspired to write her book as she began to blog and film Instagram lives of interviews with women in business and STEM fields. The book highlights stories surrounding women of color who have overcome adversity and the first-generation experience as a whole.
“I wanted to gather all of [Latinx business womens’] advice, and all of their learnings and everything [and] put it into one one place,” Escobar said.
As she began navigating through the challenges of young adulthood, Escobar said she found herself feeling isolated and on different playing fields than her white counterparts. She said there weren’t any books reflective of her cultural experience as a Latinx woman.
“Going through my bookshelf, realizing there were no stories of people who have my upbringing,” Escobar said. “There's [books] of like white women who were discriminated against and all this stuff, but like, I wanted to learn more about people who still went through imposter syndrome, and feeling like they weren't capable, and how did they get through it?”
Imposter syndrome is the internal experience of believing that one is not as competent as they’re perceived by others to be, according to a Nov. 23, 2021 Verywell Mind article.
Verywell Mind is a health and wellness website with information regarding mental health topics according to its website.
Biological sciences senior Briana Ceballos said there’s a lack of books that are relatable to the first-generation immigrant experience because most debut minority authors do not have the resources or guidance to write a book.
“There’s a lack of books that illustrate the experiences of Latinas in universities. Although many Latinas that do make it into college are the first generation, they don’t graduate and write a book about their experience,” Ceballos said. “I think this is because once they are off in the ‘real world,’ they really have to focus on the career they studied and being prepared to help support their families instead.”
Escobar’s motivational narrative emphasizes the importance of honoring one's ancestors and embracing cultural roots in the pursuit of higher education.
“Our ancestors gave us a lot of strength, resilience and passion,” Escobar said. “We can learn alot through their stories.”
