Margarita Franco was pregnant twice in high school, at 15 and 17 years old. With hard work and dedication, she received a full academic scholarship to college for Latina women pursuing law. But it still wasn’t easy. When the government daycare her children were enrolled in got defunded, she asked her university counselors if she could bring her kids to school with her. “They looked at me as if I had three heads but allowed me to bring them in for what would be two years until I graduated,” she says. When she walked the stage to receive her diploma, the entire auditorium gave her a standing ovation. She started what would become Margarita’s Angels by giving women money out of pocket for 23 years, helping many girls in the process. “It got too costly for me alone so I decided to make it an official 501(c)(3),” she says. Today, Margarita’s Angels helps single moms and young women get their lives in order by sponsoring them to study a career, helping with daycare expenses and offering a full makeover and a mini shopping spree to boost their self-esteem. She also tutors and mentors young women and in some cases gets them an internship at Lucido Global Team at Keller Williams Miami Beach where she works as a real estate commercial broker. Her future plans are to expand into the Dominican Republic and beyond; MargaritasAngels.org.
“I love seeing the positive effects that Margarita’s Angels has on the women and children that we help to get on their feet, find a job and live a better life.”
