Yessica's Creations - creating a buzz at A Taste of Tamales by the Bay

Meet Yessica Alfaro.

Yessica's dream is to start her own jewelry business. She is well on her way after completing a successful Shine Your Brilliance Workshop where she taught her students how to make colorful jewelry.

Yessica came to the United States almost 8 years ago from Huacho, a small costal town a few hours North of Lima, Peru. Although Yessica had a degree chemical engineering and worked on weekends and holidays, her wages in Huacho were low. When her husband could not find work and she was pregnant with her first child, the family decided to move to the United States in hopes of finding better opportunities.

Soon after Yessica arrived, her baby was born. She struggled to learn English while working full-time and raising her children. As a hobby, she started to make jewelry for herself. Soon her jewelry elicited the notice of her friends, who were impressed by her beautiful and original designs. One day she heard an interview on the radio about C.E.O. Women. Yessica decided to enroll because she wanted to do something for herself and wanted "the opportunity to have a different life".

For Yessica, the training class was a place where she was free of the issues of daily life, where she could meet people from all different places who were also pursuing their dreams, and where she could focus pursuing her own goal of starting a business selling her own jewelry.

Yessica is currently making many beautiful new bracelets, necklaces, earring designs that will be available for sale at the third annual A Taste of Tamales by the Bay on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at Fort Mason Center.

!Buen Provecho!