I am a San Antonio Mom :: Celina Peña of LiftFund

Celina Peña is the Chief Program Officer of LiftFund (formerly Accion Texas), the largest microlender in the United States, helping business owners who do not have access to loans from commercial sources. Celina is also an education advocate, and that’s how I got to know her. I cherish this opportunity to tell you all about what an amazing mom she is. 

I am a San Antonio Mom :: Celina Pena of LiftFund

Tell us about your background, and how you came to San Antonio.

I was born here in San Antonio, but I was raised down in the Rio Grande Valley, in Mission and Harlingen. I have a bachelor’s from UT Pan-Am and a master’s in political science from UTSA.

My dad is a lawyer, a sole practitioner. I was three or four when he graduated from law school at St. Mary’s University. I mopped, took phone calls, did collections—you name it—when I was a little girl. I saw the drive, passion, and commitment that my dad had. I watched my dad represent people in a way that was very honest and diligent. My mom is a social worker.

I came [to San Antonio] in 1999 and worked as a paralegal. I started volunteering with the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence (MCDP) and became their development director, doing graphic design, fundraising, etc. It’s hard working for nuns! [Laughs] They’re so passionate. It’s sort’of like that at LiftFund, too.

At Methodist Healthcare Ministries, I worked as a policy analyst. I learned so much there: policy skills, advocacy skills, using my political science degree. I loved it, but I missed connecting with people. I had a background of always working with people who were struggling or needed guidance.

I moved over to the City of San Antonio as the Women’s Business Center director. I found the perfect balance of being a leader and advocate and also being able to connect with people and navigate them. That’s now part of Café Commerce, at the Central Library.

I’ve been at LiftFund since 2010. The work we do at LiftFund is really about economic justice and social opportunity for folks, so they can be in better places than they were when where they started. When I think about who we serve today, I often think of my parents and their perseverance.

The spectrum of people who come to LiftFund is really dynamic. It might be someone who just read an article said, “I think that I would really like to do this,” all the way up to the person who says, “I’m ready to form a business, and I don’t know which legal structure I should be in.” We field a lot of different questions, but we have some really great people there to help.

LiftFund

Why do you call San Antonio home?

I was born here, and my parents always brought us up here in the summers. It seemed the right fit of not being too close but not being too far. People connect really well here.

I moved here in 1999, and Michael [Soto, Celina’s then-future husband] had just moved here and started [teaching] at Trinity University. Our parents played matchmakers. We tell people we have an arranged marriage. They actually work! [Laughs] We have 12 years to prove it.

I met Michael in May of 2000 when my brother got married. His mom brought him to the wedding. I was like, “Who is this guy?” We probably didn’t talk for three or four months after that. But we ended up having a great friendship, and here we are today.

Sometimes parents do know what’s best for you, even though you may think, ”What on earth?” They know you—they’re the people who’ve known you the longest. His mom had a premonition of where we would get married even before we knew each other. And we got married in that same place. We’ve got two great boys. The grandparents get to gloat about a win. We’re very blessed to have them. They guided us the right way.

What do you love about San Antonio?

Oh, gosh, there’s so much!

The beauty of growing up in South Texas is that there’s a love of community that’s kind’of innate. People still say “hi” to each other when they’re walking. I pick up my hand when someone lets me go through in traffic.

There’s a blend of socioeconomics within the lower, middle, and upper classes, and there’s still a really strong commerce. In other areas, it’s a dearth in terms of commerce opportunities.

When I think about the Valley, which is one of the poorest places in the nation (aside from the Mississippi Delta), it’s so vibrant. I can still mow your lawn, or sell you tamales, or work as a plumber, and make money. Even though there’s poverty, there’s still opportunity, and enough of it for people to potentially succeed.

I know there’s a great push for making us a better community. But I think we have a really great foundation and history. We’re a pretty darn good community, and we’re ready to become an even better community.

There’s so many things to love about San Antonio. The people are the greatest thing a community can have. There are a lot of challenges as well. I think about what the data says. But people are kind and not judgmental.

We can be very diplomatic, but that can slow us down, because we don’t challenge each other enough.

On education issues, we need a diverse ecosystem of opportunity for kids, but that has challenged the norm for policy makers.

What’s been the greatest joy of motherhood?

Seeing my boys interact with each other—not just my kids, but my husband, too. He’s an amazing father. The boys recognize that, and it’s just beautiful to see that pure love. Alejo is 12 years old, and Americo is going to be 5. Just this month, they moved into separate rooms.

They are really smart kids—I don’t know why. [Laughs] Inquisitive and challenging.

Celina Pena with Alejo and Americo

What’s been the greatest challenge of motherhood?

Patience.

And I work a lot. I have a wonderful husband who has a flexible schedule. He’s a great dad.

If we peeked in your purse right now, what would we find?

Well, I just pulled a deck of cards out. It’s for playing speed with my 12-year-old, so I can keep him engaged. When we’re at dinner or with other kids, we can play a game, and they can look up instead of looking down at an iPhone.

A lot of business cards. Other people’s cards. I tend to give mine all out, and I collect a lot.

deck of cards

Receipts. That’s basically it.

How do you hope your life influences and/or inspires other women?

Being able to be bold and brave is important for women, especially Latinas. It’s important to really own who you are and figure out your strengths and weaknesses. I know what my strengths are, and I know what my weaknesses are, too. If I can find common ground of strengths with others, we can do amazing things. The people I surround myself with know that, too. We’re able to feed off each other.

Being bold and brave does not mean being a bully. It means being a team player and knowing how to spark the right energy to get to something greater than us. I believe in that, and I saw my parents do it.

At LiftFund, we need to support our team members to make sure they are confident that they are having an impact. Our organization is the largest microlender in the U.S., and we want to keep that. I stay up late wondering, “How do we make things better for our frontliners and for our customers, so there are not so many barriers?” Janie Barrera, our CEO, says, “Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and getting the same results.” It takes reflection and probing: “Why are we still doing it that way?”

Describe your typical weekday.

I believe in taking care of myself, so I work out a lot. I’m an early riser. I don’t really sleep too much—I wish I could sleep more. I get up early and get my workout in so I can be home by 6:30 or 7:00 P.M.

I do Crossfit. King William District is my box. I get there about 5:15 A.M. It helps me stay focused and alleviates a lot of stress. I’m able to come in [to the office] and commit to working just as hard as I did during my early morning workout.

I try to get my workout done when everyone else is asleep. It’s “me time.” In case something happens, it’s already done; I’ve got my check mark. When I come back to the house, the boys are just starting to stir, and Mike’s making coffee and breakfast. It’s perfect. I’m a little stinky, but that’s all right. [Laughs]

Alejo goes to BASIS San Antonio, and that actually was a change in our five-mile radius. When we thought about the opportunity to allow him to choose where he wanted to go, proximity was a factor. Ultimately, we decided: OK, we’re going to drive farther out so that he can have something he really wants. That’s a commitment. Perspective on opportunities: sometimes we have to be uncomfortable to get to better.

I take Alejo to school, and I enjoy spending time with him. We chat, or I play music he hates, and then we play his music, and we jam out. Those things don’t sound like much, but they mean a lot. We carpool in the afternoon.

Mike takes Americo to the Circle School. That place is so great. It allows our home situation to flourish: outings, learning their feelings, understanding their bodies, really great stuff that we appreciate.

I live five minutes away from work, which can be good or bad. [Laughs] Work involves a lot of emails and problem solving so we can move LiftFund forward. After I’ve been sitting all day, I’ll do a walk or a run at night.

What four words best describe you?

Passionate. Critical thinker. Aggressive. Happy.

I just did my Leadership 360. I recommend it to anyone to understand their leadership skills and to learn what people think of them. You get feedback from people on what they think about you, what they see as your weaknesses and strengths. That was last week…it’s still very raw. [Laughs]

Where would we find you on the weekends?

At a soccer field. At a box. At home. Michael is a really great cook, so a lot of times we’re at home. I travel a lot, so on the weekend it’s nice to be home. Michael is pretty much a homebody, and the boys like to stay with him.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

If I could take a nap during the day, I would. But I can’t. If only I could sneak one in there…. [Laughs]

What are your favorites places and things to do in San Antonio?

I really love the Scorpions. The boys are huge soccer fans. They play it, they play FIFA15, all that stuff. To see it, and be so close to the field, is so cool. It’s a great experience. More people need to go. Soccer is a great balance for the rigor of the education that Alejo is in right now. I tell him, “Please, go kick the ball. Go out and kick the ball!”

I love the Pearl and downtown and Southtown. What great spaces to just be, to people-watch, and for any type of culinary yumminess. We dig that so much. You can park and just walk. The infrastructure investment in the river is quite impressive when you think about it. Any type of person can enjoy it. There’s public art as you’re walking, like the F.I.S.H. Americo loves them.

F.I.S.H. by Donald Lipski on the San Antonio River Museum Reach

I love massages. I have one scheduled every 20 days. Much needed. Taking care of yourself is so important.

I dig Old Fashioneds. Michael makes a great one. I also like chocolate cake; Michael makes that, and Alejo does, too. I do like vegetables and fruits, just so you know! [Laughs] I usually have a kale shake in the morning.

We love going for walks. We go down to Woodlawn, since it’s a few blocks from our house. We like to park in Southtown and walk down the river—that’s the walk we do the most. We dig our museums. A great space for the kids to just be.

It’s hard to beat having a great cook at home, but we do go out. Cured is our top place, and also Barbaro.

Our entertainment is usually kicking the soccer ball outside. Alejo does it barefoot! I don’t know why. We’ve got a big goal in the backyard, and we dodge and kick and run around. We’ve got Christmas lights in the backyard. It’s just the perfect place for our family: me and the boys and our dog, a Boston Terrier named Max.

Thank you, Celina. I admire you so much!

http://youtu.be/XMyHv2hqF7k

Inga Cotton
Inga is passionate about parent-driven education: helping parents be the best advocates for their children, finding the right schools (or homeschooling resources), and enjoying San Antonio's variety of arts and cultural events for families. She was born in California but has called Texas home since high school. She works part time as a lawyer and also blogs at San Antonio Charter Moms. Her eight-year-old son, F.T., and five-year-old daughter, G.N., attend a public charter school in the heart of the city. She married a techie and is a bit of a geek herself.