Meet Puerto Rican and German businesswoman and native of Geneva, Yvette Ortiz - an inspirational figure, she discusses the challenges she overcame in order to open her own boutique.
Participant & Book
This week, Earthly Possessions Boutique and Geneva native Yvette Ortiz reads I Dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes her Mark by Debbie Levy. Embracing both her father’s Puerto Rican heritage and her mother's German heritage, she grew up immersed in her Hispanic culture surrounded by a large family here in Geneva, and spent every other summer in Germany with her mother’s family. Although she holds a degree in Sociology, she was inspired to open her store by visiting boutiques in Germany with her mom and a chance encounter with a lady selling toe rings on a beach in Puerto Rico 25 years ago.
Favorite Quote
“You can disagree without being disagreeable.”
“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” This is really important now with all the division in our country because it shows that open, meaningful dialogue promotes better understanding between people and helps reduce misunderstandings. In the book I learned that Ruth disagreed most with justice Scalia, yet outside of the court, they were best friends, a lot more us of us should follow their example.
Why read it?
"...it inspires young girls to stand up for what they believe is unfair treatment"
I like this book because it inspires young girls to stand up for what they believe is unfair treatment and tells of how Ruth started protesting at a very young age. For example, she was forced to write with her right hand even though she was left handed and she decided one day to start using her left hand. This made me think back to my years at a Catholic School when I was forced to print exactly as told even though I taught myself how to write cursive. I preferred to write cursive because to me, it was "more creative." The nuns would hit my hand with a ruler whenever I attempted writing cursive but one day I handed in my assignment in cursive and I was commended on my beautiful penmanship. Handing in that assignment empowered me to continue practicing my "penmanship craft" (In my early adult years I even started freelancing as a calligrapher and wrote wedding invitations for clients) and not be afraid to stand up for myself. Ruth’s life is important because she is our leading voice for gender and race equality. A lot of women wouldn't be where they are today if it wasn't for Ruth's dissents. I read in the book that she lost her mother a day before her high school graduation, her husband battled cancer in law school, she was denied jobs as an attorney because of her gender which all in the long run impacted her determination to accomplish her dreams and achieve justice for others.
Words of Wisdom
"Every 'no' is an opportunity to get closer to the 'yes' that you are pursuing"
Being raised by parents of two different cultures and Growing up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood and being friends with people of so many different backgrounds, I never really fit into a standard category, but the biggest challenge I faced as a Latina was when, after completing a six week business plan workshop, I set out to secure a small business loan and when I called to make an appointment, I was turned down by 2 banks before I even had a chance to meet with the loan officer. A part of me thought it had something to do with my last name. That experience made me want to pursue my dreams even more. So instead of going to a bank I used my savings, borrowed money from my father, and started my business with only $8,000.00 and just focused on growing it. As a businesswoman, I want to inspire all young girls to discover their purpose and that its okay if you denied something at first... every "no" is an opportunity to get closer to the "yes" that you are pursuing.