Laura Contreras-Rowe has always had a motto: “Aim high”.

As a young Tejana living in a trailer, surrounded by gangs and drugs, Contreras-Rowe was inspired by golfer Nancy Lopez to strive for a better life. After building her successful real estate business, she felt a duty to give back to la comunidad and inspire Latinas across the U.S. to “succeed to astounding heights with courage and tenacity”. In fact, Contreras-Rowe wrote the book on it -- Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women.

Today, the award-winning author zips around the country delivering a message of hope to women and business leaders facing challenges in their lives. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Las Fabulosas asked Laura to reflect on how far nuestras mujeres have come and offer some mottos we can use to persevere through difficulties.

Why Be Average?
“When I was on book tour, I spent time with great organizations that mentor elementary, middle and high school girls. Through these organizations and schools, I was able to spend time with ex-gang members, pregnant teens, homeless kids and kids that just wanted to hear a positive message to get them through the week. They are the future of our generation and they cannot be forgotten.”

Get Your Inner Latina On
“I have a friend who tells me: ‘Get your inner Latina on’. I always laugh when she says this, but it does put me into a thought process of: I can achieve anything with hard work and perseverance. I believe we all have the ability to look forward and never let our past define our future and what we have been called to do in the life.”

Photo: Corbis Images

These days, everyone is feeling the tighter economy in one way or another and curbing their spending habits. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the finer things of life.

“You can still treat yourself without going into debt,” says Migdalia Rivera, founder of the blog LatinaOnAMission.com, which offers tips for living chic on the cheap. “It’s all about making the most of free or inexpensive resources around you.” Here, Rivera shares some insights on living it up without spending a lot.

1. Be Friends with Your Money
   Before you spend it, build a good relationship with your money. “The first step to being financially secure is being financially smart,” says Rivera. “Educate yourself on how to save and get rid of debt.” Major banks occasionally hold free seminars on money management at local branches or online via webinars and webcasts. Inquire about them at your branch or check your bank’s website.

2. Have a Beauty-full Day
   Beauty schools, spas and salons often have days when they offer lower rates on services. “You can come across specials and deals like a mani/pedi and mini foot massage, all for about $30,” says Rivera. Check websites for promotions or stop by in person to enquire.

3. Soak in Some Culture
   “City museums have wonderful activities for all ages,” says Rivera. “Best of all, museum admissions are suggested -- meaning you can pay what you can afford.” Movie screenings are also great because you get to see the latest movie before it’s out and it’s free! Search online for local film previews.

Photo: Corbis Images

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, which means you get to celebrate your Latin-ness el mes entero. In honor of the occasion, we’ve asked Elaina Vazquez, executive chef and owner of the Chicago-based luxury catering company Boutique Bites (BoutiqueBites.com), for tips and ideas on how to throw a party in style.

Decked-out Décor
“Start with a bold color scheme and use it throughout,” says Vazquez. “To make the serving station pop, tie in floral arrangements or centerpieces that’ll complement the colors of the foods you’ll serve.” Get creative when setting up your table: Incorporate props that showcase your culture, such as Guatemalan worry dolls or tiny flags of each Latin American country, à la United Nations. Use coffee table books of your favorite Latino painters like Frida Kahlo, or designers like Oscar de la Renta, as the base for your platters for a chic presentation and great conversation-starters.

Fabulous Food
Bite-sized foods are always fun and festive. “Serve them on lollipop sticks to add a bit of playfulness,” says Vazquez. Assemble a spread with offerings like pork tostaditas made with braised pulled pork and served on fried tortilla rounds; and a queso blanco salad made with radish, cilantro, avocado, and malanga chips. “Spice up your menu with mini cocktails that complement your hors d’oeuvres, such as ceviche served in cups carved out of chunks of cucumber and paired with mini margaritas; or beef short-rib sliders served with a small shot of Mexican beer. Don’t forget dessert: Miniature servings of flan are sure to be a hit.

Entrepreneur, blogger, and mom of four -- there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the talents of Ana Roca-Castro. And in 2007, Roca-Castro stood apart from her tech-world peers when she launched Premier Social Media, a company that helps businesses grow through social media. Among her impressive clients are ambassadors, government agencies, nonprofits and big-name companies such as Walmart, FedEx and Toshiba. Her dual passions for education and social engagement resulted in notable cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. By developing social game, Roca-Castro will help bring national attention to the agency’s work and agenda.

But her signature achievement -- and the one she’s now best known for -- was launching Latinos in Social Media, or LATISM, the largest organization for Latinos working in, or using, social media. Her goal, simply, was to empower la comunidad “in the areas of education, technology, health and business,” and “through the use of tech innovation and social media.” The result? The social, civic and economic improvement of Latino lives.

To that end, Roca-Castro and the LATISM team are organizing a conference this fall that will bring together experts from various industries to exchange ideas on how emerging technologies and social media can help. Roca Castro calls the event “historical,” noting that “now is the time to bring our fuerza together and see how we can find synergies of collaboration.” She wrote, “There is no doubt in my heart that we can move mountains if we bring our resources to the same table.

Photo: latism.org

For parents who are raising kids in a bicultural household, teaching them to speak Ingles y Español is something of a passion. That’s why developing habits that incorporate both cultures into kids’ daily routines, says John Baugh -- chair of the Public Relations Committee at the Linguistic Society of America and professor emeritus of education and linguistics at Stanford University -- will bring bicultural happiness to la familia.

Engage them in activities from both culturas.
“Watch television in both languages, particularly the one that is not dominant in your speech community. Sing songs and nursery rhymes from both cultures. This will instill respect and familiarity with both,” says Baugh, the Margaret Bush Wilson professor in arts and sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Give both cultures equal importance.
“Depending upon the context in which people live, circumstances may imply that one culture may be devalued in comparison to the dominant culture and language,” adds Baugh. “If this impression exists, family members should do everything possible to maintain and value their family heritage, language and culture, while doing what’s necessary to gain fluency in the dominant language and culture.”

Baugh offers this final note: “The benefits of bilingualism and biculturalism are tremendous. Chinese, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese are growing in global influence. People who are familiar with more than one language, and more than one culture, will be better equipped to participate more fully in the future global economy. This familiarity with languages and cultures besides English is an underutilized asset in a global economy that demands linguistic and cultural dexterity.”

Photo: Corbis Images