Meet Veronica Alvidrez | Educator and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Veronica Alvidrez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We started paraMi over a gap needing fulfilled in our own lives. As Latina women, we found ourselves bombarded with expectations during the pandemic and with little room left to pursue our own passions. We realized that as Latinas, much is demanded as caregivers and providers for others, but little is expected of us as individuals. We created an apparel and homegoods company to show ourselves what is possible but also to inspire other women to pursue their dreams. We decided to develop an apparel and homegoods business because fashion and design are our passions but we also realized there is lack of representation in both markets. We dream of days when we enter a store feel included in represented in the product options available.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began my career as an educator at an early age. My experience as a bilingual paraprofessional in the classroom and a migrant education program advocate later in life really equipped me with unique experiences by which to see my own world. Once my children were in school full-time, I returned to school to pursue my degree in entrepreneurship. After completing my degree I left the school district I worked at to seek employment in places where I could create more impact for my community. I am now an instructor and program director for a non-for-profit and create programs to introduce high schoolers to entrepreneurial mindset and effective problem-solving. It is my passion to help young people develop the skills they need to success in today’s workforce and in pursuing entrepreneurial dreams of their own.

It did not take long in my line of work for me to become inspired to seek my own entrepreneurial endeavor. Two years later, here we are, paraMi is a 4-women team that has created and launched over 10 products in the last year and we continue to dream big and look forward to inspiring, encouraging and supporting Latinas for years to come through our products and representation in the marketplace.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Kansas City has been growing so much over the past few years! For some weekend fun and in showing a friend around town I’d definitely start with a KC barbecue lunch. Joe’s KC is one of my favorite spots- it is a bbq joint within a gas station and the food simply rocks- a definitely a must while in KC. From there, I’d take my friend to visit the WW1 museum, if you haven’t been to a war museum, this is definitely a must, talk about a humbling moment. For dinner, I’d definitely check out the local Jazz scene in KC. We’d start at The Phoenix for some jazz entertainment along with a great dinner and then continue the live music vibes at Green Lady Lounge where the dim lighting, the deco and great cocktails make you feel like you’re in another place and time. And if it is football season, then a Chiefs game is a must at Arrowhead Stadium along with a proper tailgating party before the game. Before my friend leaves town I’d also be sure we check out Betty Rae’s for a great ice-cream treat!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of supportive people beside us! We’d like specially shout out Joy Broils, founder of Hustle & Ground, Joy has been a key mentor and believer of our work. We’d also like to thank Matthew Mellor who has been a mentor for paraMi from the very beginning, his support, advice and advocacy has opened many opportunities for us in Kansas City.

Website: www.kclatina.com

Instagram: parami.us (company IG) verovivegoza (personal IG)

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-alvidrez-95379414b/