Page 48 - San Diego Woman Magazine POWER WOMEN ISSUE
P. 48

Power Women



           Dr. Betty Uribe comes    DR. BETTY URIBE                                       her financial situation, she was
        from humble beginnings. Ac-                                                       able to get full funding for col-
        tually, they didn’t start out that                                                lege, but had to get herself a job
        way, She was born and raised   BRINGING VALUES BACK                               to be able to pay for books. Dr.
        in Bogota, Colombia. There                                                        Uribe worked full time while
        were four children, but she was                                                   carrying a full course load of
        the only girl. Dr. Betty’s father         By Judith A. Habert                     credits between 18-21 each
        owned a transportation com-                                                       semester. "I majored in busi-
        pany and was a very successful             Photos by Maggie Ramos                 ness and psychology, because I
        businessman. However, her                                                         wanted to be a business person
        father had a secret, “I adored                                                    like my Dad."
        my father, but he had a dark                                                         Dr. Uribe fell in love and
        side. He was an alcoholic, and                                                    married while an undergrad
        he would come home and beat                                                       and had a baby, her first son
        up my mother. One night he                                                        Kristopher. She loved this little
        almost killed her. Soon after                                                     boy and spent a lot of time car-
        this horrible event, my mom sat                                                   ing for him. Unfortunately, the
        us down and gave us a choice,                                                     marriage didn't last, and Dr.
        we could stay in Colombia                                                         Betty was on her own with her
        where we would never want for                                                     son. Her desire to gain more
        anything because my dad was                                                       education and make something
        a millionaire. Or we could go                                                     of herself was now even greater.
        to the US where we would be                                                          Some years later Dr. Betty
        safe, but also poor. We unani-                                                    met and married her second
        mously decided that we wanted                                                     husband, and they had two
        to leave. Literally, we left                                                      girls together: Alexandria and
        Colombia rich and in a matter                                                     Sandra. On the outside, they
        of hours, in the course of an                                                     appeared to be the happiest of
        airplane ride, we became poor.”                                                   power couples, but there was
           The transition from Bogota                                                     trouble in paradise that she
        to California was a rough one.                                                    discovered one week before
        Dr. Betty had been very popu-                                                     she was due to start graduate
        lar in her private school in Co-                                                  school; their marriage ended.
        lombia, and she was advanced                                                      Devastated, Dr. Betty didn't let
        several grades beyond her age.                                                    these failed marriages define
        When she came to the US,                                                          her; she followed through with
        she would become invisible.                                                       her education and graduated
        She didn't speak the language,                                                    with her MBA as one of their
        and they had put her into the                                                     top students while working as
        grade they felt appropriate for                                                   a senior manager and being
        a 12-year-old girl. After seeing                                                  a single mother. Her secret?
        how advanced Dr. Betty was,                                                       Living her life according to her
        they moved her up two grades.                                                     values; she managed her time
           Dr. Betty felt worse for her                                                   very closely and only focused
        Mom who had been a society                                                        on what was most import-
        woman back home, and now   enough money to be able to   she thought she wanted to be   ant to her. Whenever she
        she was a factory worker. "I   retire her. “With Mom working   a secretary because it seemed   felt inadequate or down, she
        remember watching my mom   so many hours, Dr. Betty was   glamorous to her at the time.   remembered what her mom
        and, she would get up at 3 am   called upon to watch her little   Little did she know what she   had been through and what she
        to go to work and then come   brother, who was six-year-old,   would go on to accomplish.  had done for her children. “I've
        home each day with Band-   and run the household.         Dr. Betty graduated high   always had my mother's exam-
        Aids™ on her hands and crying.   Dr. Betty didn't have any   school at the age of 16 and   ple, and I've always thought to
        And I remember thinking to   clear aspirations for what she   went on to El Camino College,   myself if my mother at the age
        myself someday, someday I'm   wanted to do in life, but she   a junior college at the time.   of 45 could come to a brand
        going to educate myself and   did know she wanted to get a   From there she transferred   new country with four children
        have a job that would give me   good education. At that age,   over to San Diego State. Given   and literally sacrifice riches,

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