DIFFERENCE MAKER
6
Jacqui Ponce
She ’ s got a mind of her own , incredible energy and the biggest heart around . She ’ s petite , gracious and kind , but don ’ t let that fool you . Mess with her and you ’ ll be talking to yourself all the way back to Calmeteville . For years , Jacqui Ponce has been a pillar in the Latino community . Whether working with honor students or gang leaders , Jacqui has been a very supportive counselor to them both . At times , she has had to be “ in your face .” But that ’ s Jacqui .
Jacqui was born in Ecuador ’ s largest city , Guayaquil . She grew up an only child living with her mother and grandmother . When she was fourteen Ecuador was in the midst of political upheaval . Her mother , fearing the worse , took her to Queens , NY . It turned out to be good news and bad news .
The good news was she was free to succeed and become whatever she wanted to become . The bad news was she was free to fail and there were many obstacles to overcome . She didn ’ t know the language , customs or people . She had no friends or family nearby . There were lots of reasons to fail , but Jacqui had a burning desire to succeed . She set her mind to it .
She learned to read , write and speak English . She rode the buses and subways regularly and learned the ways of the city including its customs and idiosyncrasies . She attended modeling school and learned about being poised and disciplined under any pressure . She got good grades in high school and , upon graduation , was admitted to Hunter College in Manhattan .
After college , Jacqui and her mother yearned to move back to Ecuador . There , she and her mother managed a book store . Jacqui got a chance to travel the entire country selling and distributing books . When she was not traveling , she busied herself studying to become a teacher . Along the way , she took the time to get married and had a son , Javier .
In 1994 when Javier was ten years old , Jacqui and her husband divorced . She moved to Los Angeles , CA to live with a friend of her mother ’ s . She worked all kinds of jobs to survive . She was a nanny , a driver and held a number of jobs in retail before she settled in as a claims adjuster for an insurance firm . Romance returned to her life when she met the man of her dreams . She married Alex Castro Ruano , a Costa Rican , in 1997 . The following year she and Javier became proud U . S . citizens . That same year the family moved to Santa Clarita . All was going well and then , it happened .
Jacqui was diagnosed by a doctor and found to have fibromyalgia a physical disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain . There is no cure for fibromyalgia . At first Jacqui was distraught . She felt constant pain , discomfort and became depressed . She was down , but people like Jacqui don ’ t stay down for long .
She determined to do whatever it took to defeat it … or at least not let it defeat her . The Science of the Mind by Ernest Holmes became her bible . In it she found the mental strength to combat the effects of fibromyalgia . She became a follower of Louise Hay a leader in healing techniques and positive thinking whose teachings helped Jacqui toward body wellness and feeling good about herself and her condition . Soon she was off medication and ready to move back to a more normal life . Jacqui was ready to do two things : go back to work and devote her life to helping others .
Jacqui joined the Newhall School District as a health education counselor . At McGrath School she was the bilingual community liaison . She helped students by encouraging them to build their self