Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines is proud of our continued commitment to champion entrepreneurs and the small business community. In addition to actively engaging with chambers of commerce in the cities we serve, our Supplier Diversity program is dedicated to supporting disadvantaged, small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses. This month, we celebrate Fanny Miller for her leadership of an empowering movement through its annual Celebrando Latinas Conference. The conference is in San Diego and is the largest Spanish conference for women in the country. The conference provides opportunities for networking, mentoring, and inspiration. By continuing to support Celebrando Latinas Conference, Southwest is confirming its commitment to connect People to what’s important in their lives. I hope to see you at the conference!
Fanny Miller
Born in Colombia of humble beginnings, Fanny Miller has embraced a journey of informing the Hispanic communities of San Diego in their language. This journey has now grown into an empowering movement through its annual conference Celebrando Latinas Conference, the largest Spanish conference for women in the United States that has become a sold-out event of over 1500 women. Focused on health, beauty, business and technology, the conference aims to empower Latinas to take care of themselves so they can be the business entrepreneurs they dream of, without sacrificing their identity.
For this diminutive woman, the journey began with nothing more than determination and an opportunity, and for her that was all it took. At the age of 21 she, along with some family and friends, launched El Latino Newspaper Countywide, with no experience, no money and no formal education. Soon after she was the only one that remained in the business. The challenge of keeping the publication afloat kept her moving forward, never looking back, knowing that the impact on the Hispanic community was immense and of great need. At the time, she only saw the present need, not knowing that this opportunity would lead her into creating the largest Hispanic media minority and women owned conglomerate in San Diego County. This year El Latino Newspaper celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
Fanny’s everyday motivation are her kids; the responsibility of giving them the opportunity to study, to be good people, for them to know that they can become whatever they choose, and to have a heart. And while being a mother of three boys and a business woman was already a challenge, in 2012 Fanny Miller adopted three girls who would soon lose their mother to cancer, making her family a full house and taking the challenge of balancing home and work to another level. She does this by focusing on learning and keeping the business growing.
For her there is no such a thing as a wonder woman, in a society that expects us to do it all and to do it perfectly, a place where moms should take kids to all the sports games and practices, and at the same time attend business meetings, seminars, conferences and tend to customers. She believes the problem with being “Wonder Woman” is the feeling of guilt that ensues when something inevitably fails. Her message to all women trying to achieve this balance is to take care of yourself, work everyday on better habits, go to the spa for a massage, recognizing when you’re tired and allowing yourself to feel and work through your emotions, and most importantly to focus on your life plan.
Southwest Airlines has been a very important part of growing the Celebrando Latinas movement, giving Fanny Miller the opportunity to travel and learn more about women in business, to bring resources and speakers to inspire and support the Hispanic Community and the women that help build it up.
