ILA Member Spotlight – Guadalupe Marquez
Guadalupe with her son, Mike
Guadalupe Marquez, the middle child in a family of ten, was born in Tijuana and grew up in East LA. Growing up in an immigrant family, the value of a hard work ethic was instilled into her and her siblings from an early age.
When she was thinking of careers, Guadalupe had not thought about owning and operating an Independent Living. She actually began her career as a teacher’s aide and recreation leader. During this time she was also a stay at home mom who volunteered with the PTA. Then she made the choice to go back to school and get a teaching credential. She completed her B.A. in Psychology as she started down the career path to become a therapist.
However, a career change was on the horizon. While in school she built a studio to supplement her income. She started doing research on the different type of residential facilities homeowners can open and came across the webpage for the Independent Living Association. That is when she realized that she could have continuing education, trainings, and assistance, once she became a member of the Independent Living Association.
Guadalupe enjoys having the ability to be in business for herself, as well as the benefits from having other ILA members to lean on for additional support. In the future, Guadalupe hopes that the community recognizes the importance of providing quality housing and the ILA will become more mainstream, opening up more quality homes.
Although Guadalupe’s work as an Independent Living takes up a lot of her time, she makes sure to take care of her health and spend time with her loved ones. She enjoys taking walks and sitting at the beach, watching the water. Guadalupe’s other hobbies also include treasure hunting at the local swampmeets and yardsales, reading and writing in her journal.
For more information about M&M Independent Living, please see Guadalupe’s profile on the ILA Directory at:
