Fernando Franco

My name is Fernando S. Franco. I moved to San Francisco in 1963 and have been living in San Carlos since 1985. I am a proud father of six wonderful children all of which have built their lives and careers here in California and across the country.

[Latinx Heritage Month"] is a reminder of the opportunity I was given to find myself in this beautiful country and working hard for the opportunities that I've been given and that we can all have. My time in this country has allowed me to not only form a family, but start a business, Fernando the Neat, and grow it from nothing to what it is today. That has been a great satisfaction and life experience.

How has your culture shaped you or impacted your daily life?

Family is important to my culture and is of the utmost importance to me personally. Being able to build a family and give my children opportunities that I never had growing up in Mexico City has always been a major driver in my daily life. Educating my kids and passing on the importance of family – of always looking out for one another has been my biggest life success.

What does being Latinx mean to you?

It's a great source of pride. To many, immigrating from a foreign country at 16 can be seen as a bit of a challenge and even a disadvantage. I never viewed it that way. To me it was always about opportunity and making the best of everything. That's why I chose to learn a trade and dedicate myself to it all of which ultimately led me to start my painting business. Being new to a strange land with a language barrier wasn't easy, but I was fortunate enough to come across a number of generous and helpful people in my first few years here. I learned to quickly look past these obstacles and trust that I could make something of myself.