Rosario Marin: 19(?)(?)—: U.S. Treasurer - From Illiterate Immigrant To Honor Student

Rosario Marin was born in Mexico City where her father worked in a factory. She immigrated with her family to Southern California when she was 14. At the time she was reluctant to make the move because of her impending quinceanera, a Mexican girl's traditional coming of age party. She was also ashamed because she spoke little English. In fact her English was so poor that she failed the standardized tests given by the public school system and the teachers labeled her as mentally disabled. As a result, she has been a strong advocate for literacy programs in the Hispanic community. She proved her teachers wrong when she graduated from high school with honors.

According to her official bio on the Treasury Department's website, "Her father gave her a strong work ethic and from her mother she got her strong faith." She would rely heavily upon those traits as she struggled to hold down a full-time job while attending college. It took her four years to obtain her two-year degree from East Los Angeles College. She continued on with night classes at California State University, Los Angeles and three years later, in 1983, she earned a Bachelor's in Business Administration and Marketing. Meanwhile she was climbing up the ladder at her day job with City National Bank. Having started as a receptionist, by the time of her college graduation, she was on the verge of being promoted to a vice-president.

Marin's banking career came to a halt with the 1985 birth of her and husband Alex's first son, Eric. The child was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome. Marin quit work to care for Eric and later gave birth to two more children, Carmen and Alex. "I originally thought that having a child with Down syndrome was the worst thing that ever happened in my life," Marin told www.spotlighthealth.com. "But Eric changed my life immeasurably for the better. He humanized me in a profound way, just being the genuine, loving person that he is." She furthered acknowledge the role Eric played in shaping her political career, telling www.hispaniconline.com, "Today, I know that since the birth of my son, all the things that have happened after that were really preparing me for the role I'm playing today."