Veronica Lugo-Vargas touches on her experiences in overcoming life's challenges in her first blog post for OKC Latina.
Hey there! My name is Veronica Lugo-Vargas. I was born and raised here in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Specifically I was raised on the southside of Oklahoma City where I remember attending Little Flower Church on Sunday mornings with my mom, hanging out with my friends at Crossroads Mall or South Skating Rink, to eventually graduating from the U.S. Grant High School in 2008. Even though this seems like just names of places to those who didn’t grow up in the area, these places on the southside of Oklahoma City made me who I am today.
"Always finish the race!”
Currently I am a small online based business owner who has worked specifically with selling clothing for about five years. I started my first business, Vizionaries Clothing, with my boyfriend. I eventually started my small business as the owner of VeesWorld Collection (https://www.instagram.com/veesworldcollection/). My boyfriend started Poetry and Chill OKC (https://www.instagram.com/poetryandchillokc/) and eventually founded a non-profit organization Poetry and Chill Kids (https://www.instagram.com/poetryandchillokckids/). I help with Poetry and Chill OKC and Poetry and Chill Kids from being a board member on the non-profit to managing the social media accounts and so much more. When I’m not busy with that I have had a passion for teaching and have attended college for Early Childhood Education to eventually change my major to Family Life Education-Child Development and hopes to finish and graduate with my Bachelors Degree soon. I have many years experience in Education and my goal is to continue working in the non-profit area and use my experience in education to help the black and brown youth. Although I seem successful, it was not always like that.
The Beginning
Growing up where I did I was exposed to alot that would seem as an unsafe environment to others but to me it was the norm. My mother was a single parent raising my brother and I. She tried her best to give us everything we needed but living in the southside of Oklahoma CIty had other plans. I experienced everything you would imagine living in a low-income neighborhood from gang violence to drugs, and although I wanted better for myself I ended up falling into a path that led to rock bottom for myself. After high school I had surrounded myself with the wrong type of people and wrong type of environment. In the summer of 2010 I eventually left that life behind and rehabilitated myself.
The Obstacles
From growing up with a mother who suffered from mental health issues, worked multiple jobs, and struggled being a single parent in an environment that society created to break down our black and brown people took a toll on her. The cycle my mother faced continued with me and eventually led to the path that I had chosen. The trauma of what I experienced living on the southside of Oklahoma City created so much self doubt, anxiety, and depression that I lived with for so long until I regained myself again.
Overcoming Them
One of the biggest lies is to think that you will quickly get over situations you experience in life...you don’t. Once I began my positive life journey from starting college to surrounding myself with a support system I still had my past traumas following me. I used to hate where I came from for so long, because it somehow always kept me back from being better and doing good. I struggled with my anxiety and depression until I saw a therapist. One of the best decisions in my life was to allow myself to let others help me, when for so long I tried to help myself.
Moving Forward
This is my story, but a story that so many others are going through or have experienced. I’ll continue to share my story, in hopes to help others just like me. I have eventually found love in my story that I once hated. I have found love for the southside of Oklahoma CIty, because even though I experienced so much negativity I remember the good times I did have. I didn’t let what I went through in life bring me down, I found myself and am doing what I always wanted to do when I was a kid. Just like me you can find love in your life story! You can find love in where you grew up! You can do what you love! You can be a successful Latina from Oklahoma City just like me!
One of my favorite motivational quotes that my gym teacher from Jefferson Middle School told me, “Always finish the race!” and that has been my life motto since. Life throws you obstacles, but it’s your choice to overcome those obstacles and finish the race.
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