My Dearest President Joe Biden,
I can´t tell you in words the meaning of the tears of joy dropping down my cheeks as I see you take the oath to be President. Congratulations, you deserve every bit of this, and we deserve you! You are the right person for this moment.
I love America. I´ve loved it ever since I was a little girl and imagined myself living a princess, worry less life or achieving goals, and being the best version of myself to my own self (which I think is different and much more relevant). In other words, being free. I loved America to the point of setting a date to move to America: 2020.
I am Mexican, I was born and raised in Mexico City. For me being Mexican is an amazing blend of culture, color, delicious food, friendship, family, landscapes, vacations, and more.
But living in America was a synonym of freedom, opportunities, equality, and second chances.
Second chances…, even the words give me shivers. Like the Pandemic, second chances give us the opportunity for a better come back.
In my mind, in America you could, (if the Astros aligned, and you put all your effort and hard work in) go to a top University even if your family didn´t have the means to pay full for it, have a job you love, live in a decent or better place, have a career you dream of, and live off it, (it doesn´t matter how specialized or not it is); you could also trust the authorities and most of all, feel safe. Safety and a sense of protection are often underrated.
In Mexico, I was robbed at gunpoint more than 5 times, got abused, and hit with a firearm severely in the middle of an attempted kidnap. For me, walking down the street without looking back or feeling the streets are not filled with risks is a basic need and right every human being should have.
Every time I crossed the border by plane or car I felt safe again. So that freedom that America could give me gained significance.
So my date was stated when I was around 20. And even though I was living the life of a lifetime with friends, a new job, and in a good financial place; I felt the need to pursue my freedom.
Twenty years later here I am, living my dream. I live in Miami, I have 3 wonderful sons who make my life better every second, and married to an amazing man who is kind above all things and who strives his best to grow every day and make us happy.
I believe The America I live in is still the same as The American I dreamt of when I was little.
The past few months have challenged the American Dream. Even though America was, and is, made of immigrants, love, faith, resilience, and hard work that we see in action every day we are also looking at a reality that this dream, for many of us, sometimes diminishes but never fades.
So just like my father´s crutches due to polio or his alcoholism, or my mother’s depression, or even my struggle with self-esteem and failures don´t define me, neither should we let that these rough times define us. And your resilience in life, politics and as an American has taught us that its up to us to make those dreams a reality. You are a great example that we can build this again and better.
Leaning for hope, for what moves us, and inspires us, pursuing the truth, fairness, and equality is something we can all do and we can all aspire for while staying true to ourselves.
I´ve worked in Marketing, Public Relations, and event planning for more than 20 years and reading your speeches, listening to your interviews and enjoying America get over crisis and renew gives me shivers.
So if you are looking for a hard-working, devoted, passionate, efficient, creative, and faithful woman. Here I am. You and your work lift me up. “There is so much history yet to be made.”, and I want to be part of it and would love to be part of your team and of the possibilities of who might I become.
For that and more, Thank You!!!
With tons of love and admiration,
Tina Puente
PS It wouldn’t be a great Inauguration Day if I didn´t work towards what moves me and inspires me.