Rosie Mares Shares Her Zest For Life, Travel, And Living in Monrovia

Today Rosie Mares is a successful businesswoman who recently relocated her business, RMA Accounting, to Monrovia, where she has lived since 2006. But long before she began living and working in Monrovia, Mares grew up in a family of eight in East Los Angeles. As much as she appreciated her upbringing in a close-knit family in a Mexican-American community, she also developed an intense curiosity to learn more about the rest of the world.

“I’ve always had an adventurous streak,” Mares said. 

At times, she said, the family went on trips to places like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, but most of her life was spent in East L.A. After she received an associate’s degree from East Los Angeles College, Mares didn’t choose to go to Cal State L.A., like many of her friends. Instead, she went to San Jose State University, in part because it had a good business program and she could specialize in accounting, and in part because she wanted to venture outside of the comfortable confines of her neighborhood.

"I just figured it was time to stretch my wings and get out of Dodge," she said.

Her whole family drove her up to the dorm. The moment she said goodbye to them was bittersweet, but overall she was excited about trying something new.

"The minute my parents drove away, I was like ‘OK, lets start this life!’" Mares said.

One of the first people she met at San Jose State University was her roommate, who she said was "totally opposite" from her.

"I was sort of a protected, unworldly person, and she was not," said Mares.

Mares said that although their differences caused them to "lock horns" a few times, mostly they enjoyed each other’s company and shared a love of pop culture, Star Trek and playing dominos.

"She definitely turned me on to rock and roll," Mares said. Under her roommate’s influence, Mares began paying more attention to the Rolling Stones and other bands.

"Before, it was more like The Monkees," Mares said.

Mares also remembered that it was strange to feel like she was part of a cultural minority in her new environment.

"I came from a community that was pretty much Hispanic," she said. She only remembered one black family in her neighborhood, and before college, she had very little contact with Caucasians. When she walked into her first class, she was shocked to realize she was the only Latina in the whole room.

"I never gave any thought of the culture I was going to be introduced to," she said. "Being the only brown skinned person in the room was kind of strange."

"It was interesting to feel like an outsider, but not entirely," she added.

As she worked her way through college, Mares sought employment that was relevant to her interests in business and accounting. She worked as a teller at a bank, did bookkeeping for a produce company, and worked in accounting for the university’s foundation.

Towards the end of her college career, she enrolled in a "Women in Business" class, knowing that an even bigger adventure was in store for her. The professor would be taking a group of women to mainland China, where the Women’s Federation of China would guide them for two weeks. The trip cost $3,000. Mares decided she had to go with them.

"I scrimped and saved," she said. 

The group of 50, which was made up of established San Jose businesswomen and college students, was visiting a country that had only recently begun to accept more foreign visitors. During that time, Mares said the group of “women of various sizes and colors," was often followed around like celebrities by curious onlookers.

"We had a blast!," Mares said. "It just opened my world beyond my little neighborhood in East L.A. and the state of California and the country."

After they landed in Shanghai, they traveled to Beijing, stopping in various cities along the way. They saw the Great Wall and toured hospitals, schools and farms.

"That was amazing, just being in another culture and seeing how people lived. It started me on the desire to really travel," she said.

"The food was fabulous," Mares added. "I had to learn to use chopsticks. They did not give you a fork!"

Ever since she made that transformative journey, Mares has seized many opportunities to travel. She’s been to Europe numerous times and regularly visits old friends from San Jose State who live on the East Coast. Some of the most meaningful travel experiences she’s had came to her through her recent activities with the Arcadia Rotary club.

In January, Mares and other members of the club went to Thailand and Tijuana. In Tijuana, the club assisted with the construction of a roof for an all-girls orphanage. Mares and other club members also brought necessities for the orphanage, played with the kids, and made crafts with them.

Prior to the Tijuana trip, she traveled over New Year’s Eve to villages in the northern interior of Thailand near the border of Burma. The Rotary club was there to assist Next Level Missions, a partner of the Integrated Tribal Development Program, which is a Christian organization based in the city of Chaing Mai. Next Level Missions assists the program with constructing better water systems and supports the growth of fair trade coffee. With their assistance, villages have also received water tanks and better medical facilities.

From the big city of Chaing Mi, Mares and her group traveled for seven to eight hours to reach the villages. They drove on rough roads that dwindled into bumpy trails, which made it difficult to go faster than a few miles per hour. After the arduous journey, Mares lived in a village where people still don’t have running water and use a stream to wash clothes. Toilets were holes in the ground.

Mares said that the organization tries to help the villagers with constructing better water systems and other things to improve their quality of life, but “it’s not about trying to Westernize them or bring them luxuries.”

"They use all their natural resources to live. They don’t see themselves as victims or disadvantaged," she said.

"I got to spend some time with one of the young girls. She was about 15 or 16. Once they’re past 14 they can’t go to school," Mares said.  She'd like to be able to continue to help kids in the village get funding for some scholarships, so they get educated past age 14.

"She had no English. She was very proud of her village and she was showing me around," Mares said. She was most impressed by “the sense of peace and pride” the girl communicated to her.

"Life in the village is different. It’s not about cars or taking a big trip. It’s about 24 hours, and being happy in those 24 hours, and that has made a big difference for me. I’ve been blessed, by God’s grace, in many ways. But I need to start learning to live my life 24 hours a day,” she said.

"I didn’t go with any intention to spiritually grow, but I did. I came away feeling spiritually fulfilled," she added.

Since 1988, Mares has worked hard to succeed at owning her own business.

"I didn’t have anybody to mentor me. And I made a lot of mistakes," she said. 

She was grateful for times when her parents could help her with living accommodations as she continued to work on her business, but the stress adversely affected her health. Mares was battling a food addiction. At one point, she weighed over 300 pounds.

"In 2000 I was diagnosed with diabetes," she said. "I took medicines but didn’t pay too much attention to it."

In 1999, she decided to focus on her core business, which was accounting for escrow companies and real estate. In 2004 her real estate business climbed. In 2005, she hired a CFO.

"I focused on sales and marketing, which were my strong points. From there, things just started falling into place," she said.

Mares also said that it was after she became a born-again Christian that things started changing for the better. In the meantime, she began to focus on her health. In 2005 she started to work with people who helped her exercise and gave her emotional support to eat better. In 2008 she joined a 12-step program that deals with food issues and made radical changes to her diet. Mares said she has lost 150 pounds since 2005.

"I know I have an opportunity. God put this in front of me and thank God I recognized it," she said. "I feel more physically fit and more confident in myself and in who I am, what I can do, and how I can help."

In 2006 she felt she could finally afford to buy a home, something she had always dreamed of. After seeing a house that a client was selling, she decided to buy it.

“It was smaller, yet close to the freeway, and quiet. The house was charming and cute. It was a 1928 adobe house, which I really like," Mares said. "I love that I can walk to the market, to Myrtle Street. I love the street fair. I feel very comfortable here."

Last year she moved her business, RMA Accounting, to Violet and Foothill, about a mile from her house.

"On those morning when I’m feeling ambitious, I walk. I love being able to walk to work!" she said.

As Mares looks back on the life-changing decisions she’s made, including moving to San Jose, visiting China, starting her own business, buying a home in Monrovia, and starting a 12-step program, the one that seems most integral to her success is her decision to strengthen her faith and spirituality.

"It’s about being about where I’m at, knowing God is taking care of me. God’s given me grace and I want to be there for his use and his will," Mares said. "It’s going to be interesting to see what the next 5-15 years will be like out of my box as I’m truly participating in life."