Today we’d like to introduce you to Sairlyn Requena.
Hi Sairlyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I am a 31-year-old Venezuelan who unwillingly decided to move to the United States approximately 6 years ago. I was yet another Venezuelan wants to fulfill their dreams. One more Venezuelan with the hope of being able to help out her parents and grandmother back home. In 2016, my life changed forever. I moved to New York City by myself with only $100 in cash. I had a friend who lived in NYC that I knew from back home and she allowed me to stay with her while I got settled with my new life in the States. I worked various types of jobs to be able to sustain myself. In those workplaces, I received insults and mistreatments but that did not stop me. I would learn to use the love and memories of my family back home as fuel that would continue to drive my journey here. I would eventually find a job as a waitress that gave me the stability I was seeking. In my social life, I had started to feel lonely due to my family and friends being back in Venezuela so I decided to download the Tinder app. A few days after downloading it I met the man who would become my present husband and the father of my 3 beautiful children. Lol I know it’s crazy, we are the small percentage that has found love through a “dating” app. My husband is a born and raised New Yorker with Colombian parents. After six months of dating, we decided to move in together. A short time after that, I found out I was pregnant with identical twins. It was a total blessing. I had to eventually stop working and dedicate myself to them while my husband was the one who brought the food to the house. A couple of months after the twins turned 2 years old, they were put into daycare and I was able to start working again. In 2020, due to the Covid pandemic, I stopped working. Early that same year I became pregnant with the princess of the house. My husband would be without work for approximately 4 months due to his company closing but thank God that he was able to get a new job sometime later. His new company opened an office in Orlando, FL in late 2021 where he was given the opportunity to relocate so we decided to move to Florida. Our overall lives really started to improve once we moved down to Florida.
In November 2021, came the worst news that an immigrant or someone far from their family can ever receive. My grandmother, who was like my mother, died due to the lack of medical care and supplies In Venezuela. My parents were left alone since my older brother and older sister had also moved to the US after I arrived here. We decided to bring my parents to The US and not wait any longer for the fear that they would experience the same tragic death as my grandmother. The happiness of having them with us goes beyond what can be imagined. It would be the first Christmas and New Year that my siblings and I would spend along with them in 6 years. To this day, I really miss my grandmother, but I know she was with us every day. My brother-in-law co-owns an insurance agency across from Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando and in January 2022 I was given the opportunity to work as an Assistant. Little by little I fell in love with the job and became interested in working with health insurance which led me to become a health insurance agent. I’ve always loved helping people, it’s something that has fulfilled me. I believe everyone deserves to receive quality health care coverage and not die from not receiving the healthcare coverage, they deserve. My grandmother back home was an unfortunate example of what can happen to someone who doesn’t have the proper health care coverage. People get sick and are not worried about getting well but are more worried about the bill that they will eventually receive. People deserve a chance to live no matter who they are, where they come from, or how old they are, we need more good people in the world. People who are willing to help others not only for their own benefit but because they really want to support those who are in need. Those who are full of doubts and debts and do not know what to do. My business as a health insurance agent is growing. I’m still learning day by day and I still feel the need to help and protect others. I want to fulfill my dreams and my goals. My husband has been an important part of this process. We want to keep moving forward and give our children a great quality of life. I am not referring to financial riches but referring to life lessons. To teach them that you have to earn things with hard work and without trampling on others. To do good without looking down on others. A dream of mine is to finish the book that I started years ago, which is a wonderful fictional story of love, support, and friendship. I have not been able to finish it to lack of time. I believe that God and my beautiful grandmother will continue to put wonderful people and opportunities in my path. You just have to have a little patience (which is difficult sometimes) But not impossible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Moving to a different country, learning their language, trying to find a job that helps you keep going and growing and also helps you to help your family at the same time.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
You can always reach out to me via email: scrginsurance@gmail.com for any questions or inquiries, you may have with regards to health insurance needs or my personal phone number 347-461-5343. Even if you want to become a health insurance agent, I can also help you with that too.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: SC_HEALTHINSURANCE
- Facebook: SR HEALTH INSURANCE
