Por Cassidy Klein<\/p>\n
La Mesa resident Guen Garrido set a goal to pay off $68,000 in student loans by the time she was 33 \u2014 and she did, in just three years. March 30 is the one year celebration of her being debt-free, and she will be speaking about her journey at San Diego Women\u2019s Week, taking place on April 1-5.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been kind of a whirlwind of a year,\u201d Garrido said. \u201cIt\u2019s cool that all this is still affecting me and that I\u2019m able to continue to spread the message.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debra Rosen, also a La Mesa resident, is the president and CEO of the North San Diego Business Chamber, which produces San Diego Women\u2019s Week. Rosen said the chamber chose Garrido to speak at the conference because \u201cmany of us can relate to paying off college loans and credit card bills, and it can be one of the greatest challenges many of us face.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in control of our financial destiny is important as we get older,\u201d said Rosen via email. \u201cAlmost all of us have debt, and we wanted a speaker that was debt-free to share their story. We did not know Guen but did a search for someone that fit this topic, and we reached out immediately knowing that she would be perfect. Her story is real, inspiring and empowering. If a millennial can pay off her debt with a plan, anyone can do it with the right tools.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Diego Women\u2019s Week is in its 10th year. The theme of this year\u2019s event, which will be held at Mission Valley\u2019s Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, is \u201cleadership and unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year\u2019s lineup of speakers will be one of the best with diverse leadership stories and journeys,\u201d Rosen said. \u201cEvery one of the speakers will leave us feeling empowered and inspired to go out and achieve what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Garrido paid off her loans, she was invited to attend a conference in New York City with SoFi, an online personal finance company. While there, she and her now-husband won a trip to Iceland with National Geographic as part of a SoFi partnership. She has been interviewed by CNBC and has a strong social media presence as an inspirational figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter everything that\u2019s happened this year, I kind of wanted to step back and focus on my wedding so I kind of went quiet for a while,\u201d Garrido said. \u201cThen Debra contacted me and I was kind of hesitant, but my husband was like, you have to do this [speak at the conference]! So I\u2019m glad I am, and I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garrido hopes people learn from her that anyone can pay off their debt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to educate yourself about money,\u201d Garrido said. \u201cBe efficient, be educated. I feel more blessings have come to me because of my hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosen said the San Diego Women\u2019s Conference exists to promote women in leadership and \u201cteach our young daughters early that they can reach for the moon and get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen\u2019s equality in leadership has become extremely visible,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to teach [young women] to be bold, not perfect. The many lessons learned during Women\u2019s Week makes it easier to share stories of women that have been able to get there, and know it wasn\u2019t without struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garrido said she is thankful for La Mesa and the opportunities she\u2019s been given in her hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so spoiled by La Mesa,\u201d she said. \u201cI love how calm it is, yet you can still go downtown easily. I get to live the best of both worlds right at my fingertips.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garrido can be found on Instagram at @money.and.gratitude. For more information about Women\u2019s Week or for tickets, visit sdwomensweek.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n