Margaret is a single parent to two girls — Rachel (17) and Emma (16). She has a Bachelor’s Degree from SDSU and earned her Paralegal Certificate at USD. She has worked as a Paralegal/Legal Secretary at the law firm Higgs Fletcher & Mack for the past four years, and absolutely loves her job.

Rachel will be a freshman at UC Riverside in the fall of 2020, where she plans to study to become a physical therapist. She enjoys attending school sporting events and spending time with her family and friends. One of their favorite places to go as a family is the beach, and they love Filippi’s Pizza Grotto in Little Italy.

Emma will be a Junior at Cathedral Catholic High School in the fall. Her favorite subject is English, and she would like to become an English teacher someday. She plays high school soccer and is on the ASB. She enjoys drawing anime characters, trying new foods and sports, and spending time with her cousins and grandparents in her spare time.

The girls are driven to achieve academically, and put a lot of hard work into their studies. Both have repeatedly made honors lists, have earned scholarships toward tuition for academic excellence.

One of Margaret’s greatest achievements is being mom to Rachel and Emma. She teaches the girls to be the best people they can be, not to be afraid to go out of their comfort zone in search of growth, and to always remember that they are loved. She is proud of the fact that they have such a desire to help others. Rachel and some friends even formed a club called “Prism” at her high school, an LGBTQ+ club that met once a week to talk about issues and to make sure everyone on campus felt included.

Margaret grew up in Logan Heights. Her maternal grandparents came to the United States to work on the railroad, and her father came to the U.S. to work in the construction industry. Her parents purchased a piece of land in Logan heights and built their home.She and her siblings had a wonderful childhood there and she is looking forward to following in her parents footsteps of achieving the American Dream. Owning a home will bring a sense of security and stability. No more wondering if the rent will skyrocket or if they will have to move. It will be a place the girls can always come home to.