Cheryl Mendoza

So how do you keep a group of 5 and 6 year olds under control?  You ask them a question, and let them all take turns answering.  So what was the question?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

As I called on the kids and got various answers, I heard something curious from our girls.  They tended to follow what their friends wanted to do.  Our first girl wanted to be a mermaid, and all of a sudden we had five who wanted to be mermaids.  The interesting thing was when other professions were brought up, some changed their mind and many of them chose to be something different.   Oh except for the one who wanted to be a doctor AND a mermaid.

It got me thinking…. Not so much about these young ones, but about the young women in our area.  Do they know the thousands of opportunities that are in their own future?   Many moons ago, I know I didn’t!

That is where a “Study in Pink” comes in.  It was something that I thought would be fun to explore.  Women of all ages, backgrounds and the different types of work they do.  To showcase the possibilities that are out there!

So I hope you join me and Mike, (who will be playing Jimmy Olsen to my Lois Lane) as we set out to uncover the many shades in this “Study in Pink”.

So a “Study in Pink”.  I loved the name at first, but I am not really a pink kind of girl.  It is a catchy phrase though, and an easy way of getting a point across.  So I went with it!  Ok, just for full disclosure, I have worn a hot pink dress….. once.

So where do I start?  It was actually pretty easy as my better half came up with the perfect subject. A young, up and coming professional, who is part of an industry that helps to make the “American Dream” come true.

We met Erika and her daughter at Starbucks right before dance class.  While Erika is no doubt  very talented, the dance class was for her daughter.

Erika Vargas has been working as a real estate agent for Keller Williams in Hanford.  She broke into the business on a part-time basis two years ago, and is now working full-time.  She is now all in, and when I say that, I mean it!  As we talked you could tell that she loved what she was doing.

It all began when she was working in retail banking.  Customers would come in and
make mortgage payments, or ask about buying a home.  She was able to refer clients to friends who were realtors, but for some of them there was a language barrier.    That got her thinking.  Being a self-starter and highly motivated, she enjoyed hitting the goals set for her at the bank, but didn’t always feel like the reward matched the effort.  It was then she decided to train as a realtor.  At the beginning she was matched with a mentor and seasoned realtor, Cindy White.  Having a mentor was a wonderful experience for Erika.  She said, “I am not sure what other mentors are like, but I learned so much from Cindy.”

What is the best part of the job?  At that question she was all smiles.  The people!  She loves the challenge that each new family brings.  “No two families are the same”, she said.  Each of the clients she meets have different wants, needs and concerns with the home buying process.  For her though, that’s what make it fun!  Great service for each of her clients, is also an important part of the job.  “I don’t want to sacrifice quality for quantity” was what she told me, and she works hard to find balance between the two.

While she loves the job, it is not because it is easy.  She enjoys the flexibility in her schedule, and for a mom of two young girls that is priceless.  She admitted that it takes hard work, is tough at times and there are some clients with hurdles to get over. When it is all said and done, with a client in a new home, it makes it all worth it!