DES MOINES, Iowa — Central Iowa is more than 1,100 miles away from Juarez, Mexico, the hometown of entrepreneur Adriana Soto.
But Soto has a love for Iowa that overcomes separation from her hometown.
“I'm proud that I came from an immigrant family,” Soto told Local 5.
About 30 years ago, Soto’s family moved to the Midwest working for a packing company. They thought they’d only stay in Iowa for six months, but life had different plans.
At the time, the Hispanic community was small.
“My parents didn't speak English so they didn't know where to go, so I was always helping them,” Soto said.
Soto had her first baby at 17 years old. At 19, she started studying insurance, with the goal of providing insurance to Spanish-speaking Iowans. At first, it was hard to get investors.
“They didn't want to give me a contract," Soto recalls. "One, because I was Latina, and two… they didn't believe and they didn't think that there was enough Hispanic community in Des Moines to be able to be successful.”
The company never got back to her... but others did. Now, 10 years later, Soto runs Adriana's Agency, where she works with several companies across insurance policies.
“That means a lot because I proved them wrong,” Soto said.
Soto believes the lack of Spanish speakers in insurance creates problems for Iowans who don’t know how to navigate policies.
“They're trying to be as educated and follow the rules as much as they can," Soto said. "Some of our community, people cannot have a driver's license yet because of many reasons. But if they can get insurance to try to comply with the state, they're doing it.”
Soto provides many different types of insurance, including commercial, workers compensation and tires insurance. Adriana's Agency is the first Latina-run agency in the area.
Local 5 asked Soto what keeps her going on her toughest days, a question that brought her to tears.
“My mom is a very strong woman and I grew up seeing her like that," Soto shared. "No, there was never room for her to give up. She always worked. She worked all her life. Even when she was sick or exhausted. And then she would come home and continue to work at the house."
Her mom kept the family going with several jobs.
“I need to make her proud,” Soto said. “Her moving from another country, leaving her family behind and her mom and dad. I want her to believe that it was worth it. She did it to give give us a better life. And I want her to know that she did the right thing.”
Soto also wants to show her daughter what it means to persevere.
“I need to show her what my mom showed me by not giving up," she said.
Some days are harder than others, but Soto says the women in her life fuel her.
Her daughter helped make her career successful as Soto raised three children, studied overnight and opened her business.
“[My daughter] was always there," Soto said. "She would take my son to school, she will pick them up. If it wasn't for her helping me with, with my kids, I don't think I would have been able to do it."
When she’s not reviewing contracts, Soto is also paving the way for Spanish radio as a co-founder of Radio Iowa En Linea.
“I love radio,” she said. “We don't have a Spanish channel, so for a lot of people, it's the way for them to get information about what's going on and about the news and about the weather and about what happened over the weekend. Or what events are going on in town. If something's going on in the community, we give out information like when it's time to register to vote when something's going on here.”
As a woman who’s created her own path with the help of her family, she wants to share a message.
“It's the people at the radio stations, the people at the tire shop," she said. "I just have to move on with the problem and find the solution”
By doing so, she empowers others to do the same.
“I have a mission to help them," Soto said. "And it's coming out of my heart.”