There is an Irish, American-born woman who is M16 certified. M16, as in the United States military version of the AR-15 rifle. She was born the year the assault rifle was designed, 1956. When she is in her tactical gear, it looks like she could have fought in any of the wars the M16 has been used in since Vietnam. This woman also qualifies her federally-issued .40 caliber pistol throughout the year. The pistol and her training arm her to protect our country from drug smugglers, terrorists and everything in between. This middle-aged woman is a bad ass. She is a customs agent, and my mother, Lucy Fresco.
If you see my mother on one of her revolving days off, she looks like Grandma Lulu and that’s about it. Not only would you never guess her day job, but you would have no idea how much this 57-year-old woman has completely reinvented herself since I was a child. Mine was a stay at home mom. When I woke up in the morning, breakfast was magically on the table and the magic kept sprinkling throughout the day because the house was never dirty and laundry always done. Now that I am a mother of three, I have absolutely no clue how she did it. The fact is, it wasn’t magic — she is an incredible mom.
Her only job was as a receptionist in a medical office when I was 16. That same year, my mother became a widow at the age of 36. The tragic car accident in 1995 left her alone with three kids, a world of fear and no economic literacy or stability. She continued to work as a receptionist for six years, and hated it. After 9/11 she answered the call for TSA agents at O’Hare airport. Together we filled out the application and supporting inquiries as best as possible. We filled in the gaps of security work with ideas of leadership. It was a long shot for her, and with fortitude she got the job.
She had a 90-minute commute to work each direction and her shifts varied as the new kid on the block. She was so committed to success and determined to learn everything. Our country’s idea of safety had changed so much after 9/11 that her job was always changing with every new policy. Within a couple of years she felt confident about her role. Every time there was a new opening above her, she applied. I was so impressed with how simply she took the rejections. She would say, ‘Well they have military training,’ and remained unaffected. Then it started happening for her. Soon she was the lead, and respected by her peers. Then she went for the big one, a job in U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After months of waiting on pins and needles, she got her invitation to travel to Georgia for basic training. She flew off for her 3-month training, having never traveled alone in her life. She was running a mile in a certain time and doing every other physical testing the rest of the ‘young kids’ were doing. The written and physical trainings, and examinations were grueling for her. She passed all of it with flying colors, and last was the gun qualification. She went to many extra target practice sessions and was so nervous. But her nerves weren’t necessary; she made it and was given her shield.
I am so inspired by my mom. She met my father when she was 17 years old and never attended college. Her professional experience was small, and she is a very introverted, quiet person. Life dealt her a really bad hand of cards, and yet like a Phoenix arising from the ashes, she is strength. She is an independent, financially secure, happy woman that I am so proud to call my mom.
The key: My mother’s lesson is that regardless of age, life circumstance or adversity, you can always change your stars if you are willing to believe in yourself and work incredibly hard.
Trina M. Fresco, Vice President of Operations for the IT firm smarTECHS.net since 2007 and NBCLatino Contributor, was named one of “50 Powerful Minority Women in Business” by MEA Magazine. Fresco is the Chair of the Chicago Foundation for Women Investment Subcommittee and serves on a number of additional boards & committees. Fresco resides Chicago with her husband, George and their three children Sofia, Giana and Lorenzo. You can contact her at FrescoRealTalk@gmail.com or on Twitter @trinafresco.
Tagged: customs agent, M16, mother, reinvent, train, tsa, TSA agent, widow
