Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Bazaldua.
Hi Angela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a woman, a mother, a wife, I work full-time, I’m a student, a friend, the crazy sister, protective daughter, & I host a food blog. The beginning of my story starts with growing up with two migrant parents. We traveled “up north” for work in the fields for years until my mother gathered up some courage, and with only being able to afford two Bobby pins for her whole training program she became a nurse.
My Abuelita & Abuelito who helped raise us were not as traditional as a usual Mexican Family. They valued traditions, but always encouraged the women in our family to be independent and everyone to be hard working. They wanted us to have a better life.
My father died when I was 18, and during that time I was already a young mom. We struggled a lot. I survived an abusive relationship before it got worse. I was a very young single mom, trying to attend college with a beat-up old car with no AC.
With the support of my mother and sister, I became the first woman to graduate from college in my family. My mom thought
I was torturing her by moving so far away from her and our family. With only 1 suitcase & 1 trashbag full of clothes, my boys & I began our journey here in San Antonio! I started my career as a counselor, with a specialty in helping individuals that were Deaf & Hard of Hearing. I was the first in my family to graduate with a Master’s Degree, and being Trilingual provided the opportunity to help people within our community.
My roles have changed from being a counselor to now at a Region level. I work as a Regional Program Improvement Specialist for an amazing state agency that helps individuals with disabilities find work, prepare for work, find a career, or retrain for a new career. The agency, Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation, helps people of many ages! I love my job! It’s a rewarding experience to work for a place that has the goal of helping people.
In the evenings & weekends, I’m a Food Blogger. I started my Food Blog, @Chica_Foodie because I wanted to share my experiences with anyone who wanted to listen. I strive to highlight the positive experiences I’ve had with the businesses I’ve visited, especially those smaller hidden gems. I try to highlight those around San Antonio, especially those in our Southside San Antonio community, in my hometown in the Rio Grande Valley, and everything in between!
San Antonio & all of South Texas is a melting pot of so many different cultures, and with that, follows some great-tasting food!! If you want to know how to bring people together, it’s through food! I love it! I have met some great people in the foodie community! Everyone has been so welcoming. I love being around this type of positive energy.
So although the start of my life has had some very difficult times, my life now is filled with so many more beautiful experiences!
I’m a mom of three smart boys, a step momma of a beautiful girl, wife to a funny husband. We try to remain humble and thankful for our blessings. We love trying new foods, & we’re not shy to tell you how much we loved it! My blog is personal, real, and filled with food posts, family posts, comic book posts, and anything related or within these categories. Nothing fancy, just our mini-adventures.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The beginning of my story starts with growing up with two migrant parents. We traveled “up north” for work in the fields for years until my mother gathered up some courage, and with only being able to afford two Bobby pins for her whole training program she became a nurse.
My Abuelita & Abuelito who helped raise us were not as traditional as a usual Mexican Family. They valued traditions, but always encouraged the women in our family to be independent and everyone to be hard working. They wanted us to have a better life.
My father died when I was 18, and during that time I was already a young Mom. We struggled a lot. I survived an abusive relationship before it got worse. I was a very young single mom, trying to attend college with a beat-up old car with no AC.
With the support of my mother and sister, I became the first woman to graduate from college in my family. My mom thought
I was torturing her by moving so far away from her and our family. With only 1 suitcase & 1 trashbag full of clothes, my boys & I began our journey here in San Antonio!
I started my career as a counselor, with a specialty in helping individuals that were Deaf & Hard of Hearing. I was the first in my family to graduate with a Master’s Degree, and being Trilingual provided more opportunities to help people within our community.
I’ve also struggled academically because of my ADHD. Being in my profession has taught me a lot about being able to cope with my neurodevelopmental struggles. I’m also a parent of children that are neurodiverse with ADHD and Tourettes. I’m an advocate for continuing education and helping students get their accommodations in school.
Every child needs every support to be successful in their goals.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Regional Program Improvement Specialist for South Texas at Texas WorkforceSolutions- Vocational Rehabilitation. South Texas region expands from the San Antonio & surrounding region to the Rio Grande Valley.
We help people with mental, physical & communication disabilities find, keep or prepare for employment or a new career. Our agency helps from students in their transition after high school, to anyone of working age that wants assistance in going back to work. There is so much that we can do from as small as helping to provide public transportation to helping with secondary education. We work with community partners in hosting events that help spread the word on how our agency can help people with disabilities.
My food blog is my hobby. It helps businesses by highlighting their food and dining experiences. I try to highlight our small local businesses because of the impact it makes on our community.
My weekends are where I venture out the most because of my work & mom’s schedule. Plus, when my budget allows too. It can get pricey pretty quick with taking a family full of teens out to eat!
How do you think about luck?
Wow! Well… I think I got lucky being hired as a counselor 12 years ago! It was during the time of our 2nd most recent recession, where there were many people losing their jobs. I was hired out of over 200 applicants, barely sliding in because of my ability to be Trilingual.
Bad luck: Probably growing up as the oldest sibling and having the responsibility of helping in raising my younger brother and sister. Although I loved them, they definitely made me grow up faster! I’m forever in that mode now, always trying to make sure they’re doing okay.
Contact Info:
- Email: Angela.chica.foodie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1f9uy0bcsmbnl&utm_content=4ocz5cx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicaFoodie/
