Meet Raquel Fernandez

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raquel Fernandez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raquel below.

Raquel, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My purpose in life was and is found through my faith. As a kid, I grew up in church, which wasn’t always easy because I was the Pastor’s daughter. So, my faith was intertwined with my religious experience. It’s easy to allow people to affect your views on faith. However, I am thankful that despite the struggles, as a girl with a lot of pressure and big shoes to fill, I realized my relationship with God was and is all that matters. My faith in God has allowed me to discover my purpose throughout all of these years.

As a kid you dream big and that should never stop. I wanted to be a pediatrician at first because I actually liked going to my annual checkups at the doctor’s office. Then, in high school, I realized I really liked social studies and history. When I was a pre-teen, my mom was invited to speak at an immigration rally. She represented the faith leaders within our Hispanic community in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. At the last minute, before she took the microphone, she told me I needed to speak and convey a message for the English-speakers in the crowd. I was extremely nervous. However, I did it because I needed to share my friend’s story, who was forced to move to Mexico because of her father’s lack of immigration status. After that speech, I was never the same. I realized my purpose was to advocate for others. So, I pursued a career as a lawyer, specifically focusing on immigration law. I have been a lawyer for almost 8 years now. For the past 4 years, I have leaned into advocating for immigrants online and using my platform to share my faith as well.

I have kept my “why” top of mind when I have been discouraged or tired throughout this journey. Why am I doing this? Why do I want to be a lawyer? Why am I sharing these videos online? Because I want to be a part of the solution. I believe, as a collective, our purpose is to help others. We all have unique gifts and abilities. When we use our talents to help another person, we find fulfillment in life.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an immigration lawyer, content creator, and recently I became an associate pastor. I have shared my experience as an immigration lawyer and content creator in the past, but now I’m excited to share a new side of my calling. I never imagined I would be serving as a pastor in the church where I grew up. Growing up, I was constantly asked if I would be a pastor like my parents. I’m grateful to have parents who never pressured me to follow in their footsteps. I was able to make informed decisions throughout my life with their support.

I have been blessed to find success as an immigration lawyer and a content creator throughout the past several years. But it’s by far a greater honor to serve my church. My church family is simply made up of the kindest people. Coming from a family of Venezuelan immigrants, I did not grow up around my cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. It was just my parents, my brothers and me. My church family is my family. They watched me grow up, make mistakes, get back up, graduate, get married, and now take part in the ministry. My husband and I have been preaching once or twice a month for over a year now. He preaches in English and I translate it to Spanish since our church is bilingual, but mostly Spanish-speaking.

The most exciting part of being a pastor is connecting with the church members and helping them in any way possible. I am grateful to be a resource to them in matters outside of the faith as well. I have advised many of them on their immigration cases and encouraged the younger generation to pursue their career paths. A church is a community of people from all different walks of life with a common faith. We lean on each other for support in so many ways. The most beautiful part of it all is that when I give of myself to the ministry, I receive so much more in return. The gratitude and love I have received is the best feeling.

We have so many exciting events lined up this year like our Vacation Bible School for kids this summer and a weekend retreat in the fall. We just wrapped up a weekend retreat in February, which 240 people attended. The retreat focused on spiritual healing and I talked about breaking generational curses. It was a beautiful, life-changing experience. I am excited to see the growth in our ministry and where God will take us in this new chapter.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that were most impactful in my journey have been: 1) faith/confidence, 2) perseverance, and 3) passion. You have to have faith and confidence in yourself to achieve any dream. Visualize yourself achieving your goal even if it seems impossible. A quote that stuck with me as I studied for the Bar is, “it always seems impossible until it’s done.” Don’t focus on your fear of failure. You can and will accomplish what you set your mind to do. Persevere until you get to the finish line. Once you have the winning formula, keep repeating it. This is also where passion comes in. When you do what you love and know your “why,” you won’t want to stop.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I take a step back and self-examine. If it’s because I have too much on my plate, I remind myself that I have what it takes. If I have arrived this far in my journey, I can accomplish what’s in front of me. Many times, I just have to redistribute my schedule. I examine my priorities. As simple as it sounds, sometimes it also means saying “no” to some opportunities that didn’t make the top priorities list. When you say “no,” you have more time to accomplish what you value the most. Saying “no” creates more room to say “yes” to what you truly want to achieve.

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