Today we’d like to introduce you to Estefania Coreas.
Hi Estefania, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well to start, I was born on December 26th, 1987 in San Salvador, El Salvador. My parents were both so young. Perhaps one of the more important details of my birth is that I was born during the time of El Salvador’s civil war. I am a US citizen today directly as a result of this war. My father’s parents were school teachers in their hometown of San Vicente. My family was separated. It was during this time that my grandfather was able to seek refuge and asylum in the US. He and his family, including my dad were granted asylum just over a year after I was born. My dad had to leave my mother and I back in El Salvador. Finally, in late 1991 after careful planning and saving, my father was able to send for us. In January of 1992, once our travel was secured,little, four year old me and my then 21-year-old mother set out on the journey to cross three borders to get to the United States. It was a month-long journey that almost claimed our lives and eventually led to our arrest. Although, we are of the fortunate ones and my dad resolved to get us released and safely home with him in GA very quickly. I had no idea at the time that we would be coming to Buford Highway in Atlanta Ga, which is a full circle moment now that I am the Executive Director of Los Vecinos de Buford Highway.
I arrived in Buford Highway in February of 1992. We lived on Buford Highway for only a couple of years. My mother, father and I, plus my dad’s entire family- my grandmother, grandfather, three aunts and one uncle in one apartment on Buford Highway. It wasn’t long before my mother, with her heart full of the “American Dream” found just that, with the opportunity for her and my father to obtain affordable homeownership in Stone Mountain during a time of great “white flight” in that area. We moved to a modest townhome in Stone Mountain in 1993. I grew up humbly with a father that worked long hours landscaping and a mother that worked cleaning houses and offices. I remember riding MARTA with my mom and tagging along with her to clean houses on the days school was out and there was no one to care for me.
Our move to Stone Mountain changed me. I tell everyone that I wouldn’t be who I am today had I not been a little Salvadoran girl that grew up in a predominantly Black community after she and her family fled a civil war. I also had my children at a very young age. I was only 16 and a junior at Stone Mountain High School when I had my first daughter, Lana in 2004. My pregnancy was high-risk and extremely tough but I was able to push through. I had my baby and I graduated from Stone Mountain High School in 2005.
I’ve always been pretty ambitious and dreamed big dreams for my life. Pregnancy was something I was not prepared for, but it was even more of a fire for me to go harder and to push through. I was pursuing a career in international business and I started college at AIU in July of 2005. That same year I gave birth to my son, Nate, in November. This was a very scary and unsettling time in my life. My high school boyfriend and now father of my children had become abusive, about six months after I gave birth to my daughter. I endured that abuse for almost three years. I survived violence throughout my second pregnancy and postpartum and so much more.
I finally made it out of the horrible nightmare, although after many legal battles and lots of stress. With the care and support of my family. I was able to slowly take back my life. Until recently, I had not been very open about my story of surviving domestic violence or my early experiences as a teen mom but I’ve learned that it is important for me to share my story.
In June of 2010 came a new chapter in my life. I moved to Las Vegas. The timing was perfect as I had my sights set on some new beginnings and a life where I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder in fear, but I was not ready for Vegas! I was a young 22-year-old mother of 2 trying to figure out a whole new way of life out on the west coast. It’s taken me being back in Atlanta for five years to truly appreciate my time in Las Vegas.Vegas was the launching pad for my career and entrepreneurial endeavors. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, I worked for three years an insurance company in Atlanta as an inside sales rep. My heavy sales background and experience in developing client relationships helped me land my first job in Vegas at Univision Radio in 2010. I went from cold calling and working at a desk to working in advertising sales and being immersed in the new Latino scene for music and events. While my time at Univision Radio was refreshing and exciting, it wasn’t really for me. I left Univision in 2011. In 2012, my career took a huge leap as I landed a role as a business development consultant with a new woman-owned firm in Las Vegas. This was my first experience with “start-up” culture as I was the company’s first employee and I helped tremendously in its growth as we brought on more woman-owned business clients once word of mouth got out that our sales strategy development and my account management was helping women business owners bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in new business. I love consulting. I love championing for women and minority business owners and not to toot my own horn but I am quite good at my job.
During my time as a consultant with the firm, I managed several multimillion-dollar client accounts across different industries. Under my guidance, my clients closed contracts with corporate clients such as Fiat Chrysler, Mercedes Benz Vans, BMW NA, and The Walt Disney Company to name a few. My time as a consultant with the firm came to an end in November of 2015 after more than three years of working with the company. I had just gone through a very difficult pregnancy with my last baby, Camila, in 2014 and wasn’t feeling valued at work. When I quit my job, I was so scared and had no idea what was coming next. Luckily, the universe also had big plans and not even a full month went by before my old clients found me and thus, I started working for myself. I’m still consulting to this day with most of my clients still on the west coast. I have a passion for helping minority and underrepresented business owners. In 2018, after living in Las Vegas for eight years, I decided it was time to come back home to Atlanta. My three kiddos and I took on a new journey and made our way back to the South.
I was thrilled to get back to the place that I missed so much and to get back to some of the things I loved. In 2020 after a couple of years of getting settled in and reacclimated I had a thought to get involved in volunteering and giving back once again only now with more intention. I figured as a consultant I could even give some of my time pro bono to the right org. Soon I started networking and attending events with the GA Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It was then that I found Los Vecinos de Buford Highway and boom, my time had come to give back in the meaningful way I wanted. The organization was hiring for a part-time civic engagement coordinator and I applied. And I guess you could say the rest is history but so much has happened since then. After reviewing my application and resume and speaking with me, the former Executive Director and President offered me a position as Development Director for the organization to oversee fundraising and growth. Little did we know when I was hired in February of 2020 that we would be in the middle of a full-blown pandemic in March. What can I say? I had to hit the ground running. We had to raise funds to help the immigrant community we serve, pay their rent and stay safe in their homes. And we did just that!
From 2020-2021, we distributed over $830,000 in rent assistance thanks to fundraising campaigns and great partnerships. During this time we also distributed food in apartment complexes throughout metro Atlanta on a weekly basis at 12 sites, serving on average at least 2400 families every week. I’m so proud of the work we’ve done. Completely immersed in our Buford Highway community and going full steam ahead I was so happy to be named the new Executive Director of Los Vecinos de Buford Highway by our Board of Directors in November of 2021. Now that we’ve come out of the tougher of times of the pandemic, our organization is getting back to the basics, focused on tenants’ rights and empowering our community through education and advocacy while creating future leaders in the Buford Highway Corridor. I look forward for what’s to come!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely hasn’t been easy. There’s been the trauma of fleeing a country and crossing the border. I had two teen pregnancies and overcame domestic violence. Lot’s of really hard life stuff, but I did overcome!
As you know, we’re big fans of Los Vecinos de Buford Highway. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Los Vecinos de Buford Highway is a non profit organization dedicated to uplifting the voices of our immigrant and undocumented families throughout the apartments of Buford Highway. Los Vecinos or The Neighbors, in English, started gathering in 2016 when one of our co-founders came home to an eviction notice and began rallying her neighbors. Our organization was officially founded as a 501-c3 Non-Profit in 2018 and little by little, we brought more neighbors together. From 2020- 2021 we distributed over $830,000 in rent assistance thanks to fundraising campaigns and great partnerships. During this time we also distributed food in apartment complexes throughout metro Atlanta on a weekly basis at 12 sites, serving on average at least 2400 families every week. Now that we’ve come out of the tougher of times of the pandemic, our organization is getting back to the basics, focused on tenants’ rights and empowering our community through education and advocacy while creating future leaders in the Buford Highway Corridor.
Los Vecinos works within a network of apartment complexes throughout Buford Highway in DeKalb & Gwinnett County. We host monthly dinners and workshops to bring resources directly to our community. We offer free legal aid services for families facing eviction and those living in inhumane conditions. We amplify the voices of the most unheard.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking is definitely a must! I’d say, don’t be too shy, even if you start slow, get out there. People need to be able to put a face to a name/brand/company. And showing up often is key. Be yourself, be enthusiastic, be passionate and feels forced to leave it!
When finding a mentor, it’s good to go with people you genuinely look up to, people who move the way you’d like to move. Mentorship is necessary, we all need another perspective, kindness and well-seasoned advice sometimes.
Contact Info:
- Website: vecinosbh.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vecinosbufordhighway/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vecinosbufordhwy
- Other: https://www.gagives.org/story/Fubzwf
