At the age of 20, Denise a single pregnant mother relocated from Coachella to Belcamp, Maryland achieving a better wage and advancement opportunities to provide for her soon to be born daughter, Abril. Her journey to Maryland came from a promotion to Corporate Manager that she received from the company she worked for, Saks Fifth Avenue (SFA).  Denise was employed by SFA at 19 years old and had done very well as the store’s inventory controller. She lived in Maryland for many years by herself and her daughter Abril would be in between both states, raised by her grandparents and Denise; this was not easy since it took a five- hour flight to get Abril to one another.  She worked long hours, at times on weekends, and daycare was expensive.  She would go on to work as an executive for other large retailers, such as Ace Hardware and Target. These challenges as a single mother would come to be her why: the motivation for giving back to the community. Today, she has the great privilege of going back to where it all began... working in a classroom with students as an educator at Coachella Valley Unified School District in a population largely made up English language learners and working-class families.

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     "My parents came to Coachella from Mexico, in pursuit of a better quality of life.  I come from a long line of single moms, strong women, and women who get things done.  Women, who worked in the cotton, watermelon, and grape fields.  I don't know anything else, but to work and earn my way through life. As a single parent myself, I know first hand the struggles of raising my daughter on low wages.  I want to provide the residents of Coachella with the resources and tools to acquire services, gain employment with a living wage, enriched recreation programs, afford housing, and include them in the decision- making to improve their quality of life.  If elected, I guarantee to seek the input of residents and groups to ensure they are reflective in local policy".  - Denise Delgado