Gentlewoman, Claudia Capetillo

I was just rereading my Gentlewoman Interviews the other day and became so inspired by rereading each and every one.  I want to continue this series because my hope is that someone will get inspired and decide to reach up.

My next Gentlewoman is Claudia Capetillo, a beautiful, sweet friend of mine.  Claudia didn’t let having a baby at 16 stop her from living out her dreams.  Her daughter Genesis has a smile that is contagious.  Claudia has raised this little girl to be a shining star and I know that the foundation she has laid down for her will take her far.  Claudia recently graduated with a degree in Education and landed her dream job as a bilingual elementary teacher.  As we have all experienced, struggles get in the way of relationships, family, education and everything else.  What I love to witness is seeing people, especially women, overcome all those barriers, obstacles and statistics to prove everyone else wrong.  I’m sure the road wasn’t easy, but what Claudia has shown is that it can be done, regardless of what you are going through. 

Claudia just turned thirty (whoo hoo) and she is embracing the age rather than sinking into the negativity of getting older.  Congrats Claudia on all you have accomplished.  

1.     For those people who don’t know you, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?  I’m a thirty year old who loves life and is truly blessed.  God has been amazing to me.  I have a wonderful 13 year old daughter who is EVERYTHING to me.  I have a great man by my side that supports and spoils me and his daughter.  Overall, I’m a lucky girl.

2.     You have one of the hardest, but most underpaid jobs in the world. What made you decide you were going to be a teacher? I think I always knew I wanted to teach.  It is one of the hardest and underpaid jobs, but I love it.  It’s stressful and draining, but at the same time it’s extremely rewarding.  I help mold young children.  I inspire them to learn.  In what other job do you have 40 people looking up to you and admiring you?  Also, the kids are a trip.  They make me laugh.  I love what I do.

3.     As a teacher, what do parents need to do to make their children more successful?  I think the best thing parents can do is support the teacher.  Always let your child know that you and the teacher are on the same page working together to achieve student success.  Also, nourish being a good reader.  Read to young kids and even babies.  Support their love for reading.  Being a good reader will help with everything they have to do in school.  Did you know that when the state is building a new prison and figuring out how many cells to build, they look at how many kids in third grade aren’t reading at grade level?  Statistics show that a child who doesn’t read at grade level in third grade has a higher risk of being in prison.  Scary!

4.     You have broken the barriers of the statistic world by becoming a successful young woman who had a child at a young age. What motivated you to finish school and pursue your dreams? Fear.  Fear of being a failure, fear of not being able to provide for my child, fear of being another statistic.  Ultimately, it was my daughter.  She was my drive.  I need her to always be proud of me and look up to me.

5.     What do you think women in our generation need to hear? Oh man, love yourself.  Love your children.  Support them, encourage them and always make time for them.  Also, I would love for women to understand that men should never come before yourself or your children.  That’s just my opinion.

6.     Who inspires you and why? Genesis, my daughter.  She makes me want to do better so that she can have a role model.  Also, my kids inspire me.  I love to watch them grow intellectually and emotionally.  They inspire me to be a better teacher for them.

7.     What are you most proud of? The number one thing I am most proud of is the fact that even though I was 16 years old when I had Genesis, I have raised her to be the young lady she is today.  She is my success story.  She’s happy, loving, confident, smart and absolutely amazing.

8.     What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? The best piece of advice I have ever received is to never give up and to always keep moving towards success.

9.     You have a daughter who is now a teenager, what are the biggest battles facing our teens and how have you helped your daughter fight against them?  Well, I think what scares me the most about this generation is bullying.  (I think that’s a problem in any generation, but a bigger risk now with social media.)  Also, drugs scare me so much!  I help my daughter by making sure she knows how much she’s worthy and that no one has the right to make her feel less than.  I also don’t allow her to have a social media account. I feel she has no need for it at this age.  (She also doesn’t care to have one either, which helps.)  I talk to Genesis with the TRUTH!  I don’t sugar coat anything.  I’m sincere with her about girl drama, which can get out of hand at this age (especially at an all girls school), boys, and my struggles as a young mom and drugs.  We also have an open line of communication.  I always want to keep it open.

10.  What are your dreams?  I dream to watch my daughter grow up to be a successful happy woman.  I dream of going back to school and receiving another degree.  I dream to make the best of life and live happily ever after with my loved ones.