Today we’d like to introduce you to Danitzia Singh.
Hi Danitzia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a first-generation Latina who had to work for what I have. While I was still privileged enough to grow up in a good neighborhood in Elk Grove, CA, I had to work several jobs to put myself through college. I am the oldest of four children, and my parents made enough to pay the bills, but too much for financial aid. So, if college was something I wanted to pursue, I had to pay for it. I also attended college during the recession, which made finding a job right out of college difficult. My parents were both hard working so their drive and dedication inspired me to get to where I wanted. I honestly cannot remember my mom calling into work ever.
I met my husband while I was doing my undergrad at Sacramento State University. After we had met on my 21st birthday, we were pretty much inseparable. I graduated at age 22 and, together, we’ve accomplished a lot in the last decade: we became home owners, had some job changes and promotions, a few businesses started and two beautiful children!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road? What’s that? I mean, all stories have struggles. Ours in particular had to do with my husband’s family having a hard time accepting me because I am Mexican. I grew up Catholic/Christian and my husband is Indian and his religion is Sikhism. He was threatened to become “disowned” by his family because of our relationship. This developed a struggle for us and changed the relationship between him and his family forever. There was judgement about my culture and some words were even said about our future children not being “worthy” enough. I will spare you the rest of the details. I am not sharing this story with you for sympathy. I am sharing this with you because staying true to yourself can be more freeing than you’ve ever felt before. It’s important to live life for yourself and stay true to who you are.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I went to school to be a teacher. I love working with kids! I taught for well over ten years and even opened up my own preschool. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic I had to close my business after seven successful years because it was taking a toll on my mental health since it was hard to find consistent help, enrollment was sporadic, and other factors relating to Covid-19. Teaching is hard enough as it is, but teaching during a pandemic is more than I was able to handle. Currently, I am still practicing real estate and found a job working from home full time. I chose this path for now because it is what works best for my family. In the past, I have put together some women empowerment events featuring small and local businesses. I hope to continue to do these events in the near future and help women, especially women of color find like-minded women within our community.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I love collaborating with brands! I have had some long-term partnerships with brands I love like The Hyatt, OOLY, Literati Kids and more! Collaborating with businesses that are owned by women or women of color is important to me. I love to support however I can. I have an email in my bio for brands to reach out to me. If you’d like to support, I would say just sharing, liking and commenting on my content goes a long way! It’s free for my followers to support and in exchange, hopefully I provide valuable content for them!
Contact Info:
- Email: littleoakseg@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themomtessorilife/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dani.pasillas/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@themomtessorilife
Image Credits
Christina Best @christinabestphtography Kathleen Curto @kathleencurto
