Modelo Latina y Productora de los Premios de Moda de Boston, Marlena Garcia

On this week's episode of Que Pasa Boston, host Gabriela Salas sits down with Marlena Garcia - a top model, journalist, and the driving force behind the highly anticipated Boston Fashion Awards. Hailing from Lowell, MA with proud Puerto Rican roots, Marlena is using her platform to showcase the vibrant multicultural talent thriving in the heart of New England.

As a rising star in the fashion industry, Marlena's journey is one of perseverance, creativity, and a deep commitment to empowering diverse voices. Tune in to hear how she's balancing her studies at UMass Boston with an impressive modeling portfolio and her role as the event director for the 2024 Boston Fashion Awards - a can't-miss celebration of local designers, stylists, and industry innovators.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Marlena's path from small-town Latina to in-demand model
• How she's juggling her college education and fashion career
• The inspiration behind the Boston Fashion Awards and its mission
• Exclusive details on the November 11th event and how to get involved
• Marlena's advice for aspiring models and entrepreneurs

As the voice of Boston's multicultural community, Que Pasa Boston is your connection to the people, businesses, and events shaping the city. Don't miss this chance to hear from a rising star whose work is uplifting Latina representation and making Boston a hub for fashion and creativity.

Tune in to Que Pasa Boston, El Latido de Nuestra Ciudad, this Saturday at 6am on Rumba 97.7 FM and on all iHeart Radio digital platforms.

Sintoniza Que Pasa Boston: Modelo Latina y Productora de los Premios de Moda de Boston, Marlena Garcia

En este episodio de Que Pasa Boston, la presentadora Gabriela Salas se sienta con Marlena Garcia - una modelo de élite, periodista y la fuerza impulsora detrás de los muy esperados Premios de Moda de Boston. Originaria de Lowell, MA con orgullosas raíces puertorriqueñas, Marlena está usando su plataforma para dar a conocer el talento multicultural vibrante que prospera en el corazón de Nueva Inglaterra.

Como estrella en ascenso en la industria de la moda, el recorrido de Marlena es de perseverancia, creatividad y un profundo compromiso con el empoderamiento de voces diversas. Sintoniza para escuchar cómo está equilibrando sus estudios en UMass Boston con un impresionante portafolio de modelos y su papel como directora de eventos para los Premios de Moda de Boston 2024, una celebración imperdible de diseñadores locales, estilistas e innovadores de la industria.
En este episodio, aprenderás:

• El camino de Marlena de latina de pueblo pequeño a modelo cotizada 
• Cómo está equilibrando su educación universitaria y su carrera en la moda
• La inspiración detrás de los Premios de Moda de Boston y su misión
• Detalles exclusivos sobre el evento del 11 de noviembre y cómo participar
• Los consejos de Marlena para modelos y empresarios aspirantes

Como la voz de la comunidad multicultural de Boston, Que Pasa Boston es tu conexión con las personas, negocios y eventos que dan forma a la ciudad. No te pierdas esta oportunidad de escuchar a una estrella en ascenso cuyo trabajo está elevando la representación latina y convirtiendo a Boston en un centro de moda y creatividad.
Sintoniza Que Pasa Boston, El Latido de Nuestra Ciudad, este sábado a las 6am en Rumba 97.7 FM y en todas las plataformas digitales de iHeart Radio.

#QuePasaBoston #LatinaCommunity #BostonFashion #ModelEntrepreneur #Latina #PuertoRican #LocalImpact #Multicultural #LatinxVoices #CommunitySpotlight #QuePasaBoston #ComunidadLatina #ModaDeBoston #ModeloEmprendedora #Latina #Puertorriqueña #ImpactoLocal #Multicultural #VocesLatinx #EnfoqueComunitario

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Pa Boston, kepasa Boston. What's up? I am so excited.
Request felis oil vitala caes grano or paramil compos is
the super ocupada is the contola plan lost Siendo and
sou Mundo the part of the Ao conosotros o a

(00:31):
by star representando el mundo, la mola itambien tolo case
el reconnosimiento ISAs artistas isacada are arte replicr locues a lasmosis,
los colores, los sennos and lamla con sta. Marlena gave

(00:59):
Marlena come my hello.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
I am so excited to be here. Thank you for
having me.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
I'm so happy that you're here. Marlena is Latina. I
want you guys to know everything about her. Poor queteamos
latin is samos and I'm so proud that you were

(01:29):
able to put this event together and also all of
what you've been doing with your career.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
So Helena, yes, I am Spanglish, so please you know
bear with me. I cannot take all the credit. I
have to give credit to my team perform A Radio
and Television, Michael Soto's and John Blatti. They are amazing people.
That are. I'm working alongside legendaries. I I picked their
brain all the time, so I cannot take all the credit,

(01:57):
but I am with phenomenal people just like you, Ebierla.
So thank you, thank you. I am so excited to
be here. I can't wait to talk about all that
I got to talk about. Yes, so where should we start?

Speaker 1 (02:09):
I want to know more about you, So bring me
back to your childhood, like what is it like? What's
your background? Where did you grow up? I want to
know everything.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yes, So I was born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts.
I was original. I am Puerto Rican, black and white.
My mom is full Puerto Rican. My mom came here
when she was two years old and she was raised
in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. So with that right, my
mom came here. My mom was raised in Nashua and Chicago,

(02:43):
so she has she's very strong cookie, so I got
that from my mother. I was. I went to Lowell
High School and now I am in Middlesex Community College.
I'm going to school for communications. And as a little girl,
I always wanted to be a model since I was
nine years old. But you know, you dobble and dabble
when it comes to a career wise, I wanted to

(03:04):
be a teacher. I wanted to be a therapist. I
you know, so you had a lot of goals exactly.
My mom first gave me my first tackles, and I
was running around with my tackles. So that's so I
always was a diva, always sassy. I wish that you.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Could see her. And actually we're going to take a
couple of pictures in some videos so we can share
that with our audience. But silaven, it'sna bay jes Alta
is Belta and she has like this personalities. She's gorgeous.
It's and then once that you were like adventuring of

(03:44):
what to do, what was in your head like Okay,
I'm gonna model, I'm gonna walk with my tackles in me.
I'm like immornios. Then then what happened after that?

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well, honestly, I didn't see that dream after I went
into high school. How come I had to work when
I was thirteen years old? I was My mom was
a single mother, so it was very hard for us
three being raised by a single parent. And you know,
I give it to my mother. She's not perfect. I
feel like no one's perfect. But she raised me as

(04:16):
a warrior and I started working at thirteen. I went,
I was watching children. I was watching children at the
city hall. I turned. I went there to like after
school programs, basketball programs. We also did I was a lifeguard.

(04:36):
I also there was a lot of things that I
community service got.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
You started in lack of money. That right, like you
were just getting yourself involved with all these you know,
circumstances where you have to see what's happening around you in.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Real life, exactly right. And when I got into high
school at fifteen, I actually wanted to go to the military,
so this glamorous life was not. Yes, I wanted to
graduate and go into the Air Force. I went. I
started ROTC at sixteen. I left ROTC when I was eighteen,

(05:15):
but that's when I graduated in twenty eighteen and I
met people, So let me go back a little bit.
I didn't want to leave my family, so that's why
I didn't go.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
And they're all in Lowo.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
They're all in Lowell, some are in Worcester, some are
still in PR San Lorenzo in Chicago as well.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
My Tia Rita, I Salu.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
But it was very tough growing up and I was sing.
I was not the only child, but I was the
only girl in the middle. So you know, me being
with my mom the only females in the house, I
had to be her rock essentially, and having to grow
up very young, I understood manipulation. You know, a lot

(06:04):
of darkness in the world. So I just worked. I
worked that subway. Shout out to Anna, that was my
first boss. That she taught me like a lot of
great essential things. As a teenager, I also was working
and going to school, so being around my community, I
understood that it was really rough. The circumstances were really rough,

(06:27):
and I always dreamed big though, so that never stopped me.
When I graduated, I just went straight to work. I
didn't look into going back to school until five years later.
And this is my time. So twenty twenty four, I
started my first semester in January as communications transfer. And
that's because of the help of performer, radio and television.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
So without them, that's how you got into the whole
scenario of the arts.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yes, people believed in me. People saw my potential and
I also showed it exactly. I was ambitious, I was
hard working, I was determined. So when people see that
inside of you and they feed you life. That's all
they that's all you need to do for youth. This
is where I'm at with my life where I see
children and they don't they don't see an outlet because

(07:18):
of the circumstances that they're in, and you just want
to shed positivity and light on those children because sometimes
they don't have someone to go home to love, they
don't have someone to talk to them in a respectful way,
and that's not their fault.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
So it is sort of self made. As she is
taking care of everybody, you're also trying to learn everything
on your own and you're reaching out two different you know,
areas or different people that are around you. Is that

(08:02):
what do you think that happened? Is like you searching
and looking for opportunities. Is that what you think that
made you who you are right now? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (08:11):
One day I was lost. Once upon a time, I
was very lost, and I've been a church girl since
i was eight years old, so I had my strong
My faith was very strong, and I believed in myself.
But I have to give credit to the people that
were there for me, Me and Mana Anna as well.
An area. I have five nieces and nephews through her.

(08:33):
She's not my son and mana and I've been knowing
her for twelve years. She's my rock.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
How beautiful that you can't choose your family right.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Exactly, And this is where I prayed to have a sister.
I have brothers. I love them, They're like my shoulders. However,
you know how you want that intimacy with somebody you
could just talk about real life other than my mother
because she taught me, you know, but I had someone

(09:02):
like an Area Brown, that's her name.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
And hopefully you can bring her someday and we can
just talk to her and see what she's all about.
And when she's done to inspire you, you Persona is porque.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
She raised all her children by herself as well. Very
strong in the visual, very independent. But she has a
beautiful heart, beautiful mind. She inspires me every day because
she don't give up. Okay, she don't give up on
her children, she doesn't give up on herself. She still
gets ready and the more I'm model to no, but
she's definitely.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah, she could be, and she's there when you're like
in your fashion shows and your wrong ways, the one to.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
First call me.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
She's the first one to call me and tell me
what's going on. And when she hears my voice she
understands what's going on.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
No, she can read it right awayos ana persona in
inestro lacuceno ana pel parres there like, how would it

(10:32):
be for them? Or what would you say to them
if they were in your shoes or if you were
in their shoes.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
Be your own biggest cheerleader, be there for yourself. Usually
as a young little girl, we would say, I want
to be like Cinderella, where we have our Prince Charming
come and save us. Well, even though that's so beautiful
and such a fantasy, you still have to be the queen. Okay,
you have to show up as you being the queen

(11:01):
for yourself. So really being your own cheerleader. So going
out there, do your hair, makiya, put you make up on,
feel beautiful. And there's once upon a time I didn't
have clothing that I liked, but I would just play around,
play around with clothes, play dress up, go around with
other girls. And growing up I was like a tomboy

(11:24):
because I grew up with guys, but I always wanted
to be around girls. I'm like I need my feminine women.
I need my women around me, and it could get
Oh you know you're so pretty. You know, I don't
know how you do it. Well, everyone's beautiful, everyone has
a heart of gold. So I feel like you shine

(11:44):
your heart first and not your face. Right, be your
own biggest cheerleader.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
So that makes you probably you know, stronger than others.
Pendertus Metos focus and Loa Mike, look at I want

(12:18):
to become a journalist, Kiero commentar Ali al Mundo look
at your PI and so.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
The communic I feel like I have such a big
personality and that's the first thing people see. So being
a journalist, I get to tell a story within my
own view of life, and you got to give credit
where it's due. Sometimes people feel like, oh, just because
they put me on doesn't mean I got to remember them. No,

(12:51):
you have to really remember the people that were first
there with you because that's how they got you there, Okay.
And being a journalist, I get to tell a story,
but then I get to highlight the people were that
I was right next to. So I respect those people
and this line of work. I want to cover the youth.
The youth youth youth and highlight them and be a

(13:15):
part of them. I'm going to be a maker space
leader at the Boys and Girls Club. I'm going to
be teaching kids from six to seventeen, and it's going
to be a roller coaster. I'm excited. But this is
where I'm going to be the more intense with my
communication and journalism telling these kids' stories. Obviously, I'm going
to have the parents, you know, consent, because you can't

(13:37):
do nothing with the kids without that. However, I deaf
kids are also little adults, right, and you have to
acknowledge them as individual people. They will show up in
this world with or without you, right. So when it
comes to my own nieces and nephews for an experience,
I tell my sister all the time, we have to

(13:58):
acknowledge them as who they are right now, because one
day they're not going to have us as they have
right right, We're not gonna have They're not going to
be in front of our faces. You know, something happens
to them. They have to understand. Way, my mother told me, wait,
my tit told me it's okay, right, and then we
can have that inner voice for them to be like
everything's going to be all right, take it easy, one

(14:20):
step at a time, just in past.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
Hey, I love I love that you're sharing this porkstro
program Lodi and second sister Suchando qualison is as historias
in spirra analyst k and and I believe a lot
in mentorship. I believe a lot in sharing knowledge. Nowadays,

(14:48):
people try to keep all the information to themselves, Like
you can't do it anymore because you have TikTok, Instagram,
you can have Google information, yes is guilla is almost.

(15:10):
We have to guide them into you know, a path
of values and commitments and discipline and and maybe show
them with actions you know what they can do. And
I'm really just excited about learning all your your ideas
and your mission in life because your mandare to miss

(15:35):
Spira persona is inspiration, Like who inspired? Who's that idol
that you have that inspires you me? You're like, as
it's all about me.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
I like about being Okay. I have a baby picture
that I look at every single day and I tell
my I tell her I'm not gonna let you down.
That's the only person that I look at and that's.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
Oh I just got Goosebumpnaci.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
That's that's the only person right now that if I fall,
Who's going to pick me up? You know? If I
go up, who's going to bring me down?

Speaker 1 (16:19):
You know.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
So it's like at the end of the day, the
day ends. So if I'm not with my my sister,
I'm by myself. If I'm not with my man, I'm
by myself. If I'm not with Gabriella, I'm by myself,
you know, or Mike. So it's like the hardcore route
to ground myself is to make sure when I look
at that picture or I look myself in the mirror,

(16:42):
I'm making a difference.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
I love that for a hampl Wollstone, Yeah, Jokark como

(17:04):
comomano pero tambien in e la specto the community that ispana.
So women are in our generations, in our culture there
tend to be seen in a different way sometimes. And
the industry is not easy, you know, the fashion industry
is not an easy industry. Quile reto's mask wort get

(17:27):
to us oka pasad like what are the challenges that
you're overcoming, you know, like in a regular basis or
like most content constantly in this industry of.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Fashion, staying in my truth being always making sure I'm
listening to my heart and my mind. You can always
get inspiration for somebody and wanna be like, I want
to be like that person. But you will always be yourself.
You will always show up as yourself. And when you're

(18:00):
in a room full of people that you don't know,
eventually they're going to know you. And that's where confidence,
your confidence, your self esteem, how you present yourself, that's
your trademark. And it's always how you make somebody feel.
So you can meet somebody for five minutes and it's
what you say that's valuable. And that's how I make

(18:22):
sure when I talk to children, I meet them like
I meet them, I shake their hand, how you doing,
you know? And they look at me like what are
you doing? And it's because they never be treated that way.
And I wish somebody came up to me and was like,
I'm so and so, what do you want to be

(18:43):
when you grow up? I love it and that's what
Obviously they ask you that in school and you know,
you brainstorm or other people, but that's where the corruption happens.
That's where other students or kids look down on each
other and be like, oh you can and be that well,
you'll see in twenty years and that's just where you

(19:05):
being your own biggest cheerleader happens. You gotta walk in
that room like God sent you.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
Oh Amanda. But before we go into the event and
what you're doing for the Boston Fashion Awards that it's
a fifteen year year celebration, I would like to just
touch base and if you have one suggestion. If I'm
a young girl or young guy that wants to become

(19:32):
a model, what do I have to do? What are
the steps? Or that I don't want to get scammed
because there's so many scams out there, Leos, Correctors and
on the point Bostonespana.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
So for the scams, I was scammed one time, were you. Yeah?
It was to the point where someone that was already
had a great platform used beginners and intermediate. Right, well,
let me rewind someone that had a great platform that
used naive models. So essentially, you come into the game

(20:13):
and you don't know where to start, right, I can
really say connect with other individuals just like you. So
if you're a beginner, go around other beginners. If you
want to be ambitious, what's on hand? You can go
to fashion shows, that's where the most connections you can get.
That's how I got into it. So when a designer

(20:35):
says I want you to be a model, that's really
like boom, go into that door, do what you gotta
do and practice. You know, you don't want to make
yourself like it's like a test. You know, you want
to make sure you study for the tests you don't fail.
And it comes to to the point where if you're
around beginners, you're able to learn with them versus a professional,

(20:58):
you're not. You don't want to be a beginner, and
working with a professional, they'll make you feel like you're
not enough. Right, So that's how I did it. I
worked with other beginners. Then when I was an intermediate,
I worked with other intermediate and then when I became
a professional, I also worked with other professionals. And it
makes you feel like you're not bragging. Okay, So it's like,
if you're a professional, you're other working with other people

(21:19):
that don't understand your line of walk, it will make
you feel like you're bragging or you're talking to the
wrong people. I am going I am the CEO and
founder of Nouveau Networking, So this is going to be
highlighting performers, artists, models, entrepreneurs, real estate, anything that ends with.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
A O R.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
You are er and really highlighting. I want to be
able to bring all these people together and say you
want to know this person, talk to that person right there,
so you're a connector. I want to be the divine right.
And it comes to a certain point where when I
showed up to fashion shows, I wouldn't met all types

(22:00):
of people the cooker, like chefs, farmers, photographers, videoographers, editors,
other models just like me as aspiring models, what else
like performers, So I wouldn't meet a whole line of people,
but not a lot of individuals understand like a fashion
show would do that for you, Oh I'm not really fashionable.

(22:22):
Why am I going to go there? It's like a
party essentially, and NEWVEU Networking will be a place where
you can connect with all types of people and it
wouldn't be just We'll do seminars. That's something that I
want to also highlight. We want to do seminars on leadership.
We want to do seminars on character building. We got

(22:42):
to want to do seminars on how do you connect
with yourself? And highlight what does this mean to you? Right?
And that's where going back to the Boys and Girls Club,
I want to even though I'm the maker space lead,
it's supposed to be like an art teacher, and I
want to teach him about fashion, but I want them to.

(23:03):
I want to educate them what fashion means to you?
What does art mean to you?

Speaker 1 (23:08):
The behind of everything, right, the concept that the understanding
of what it's fashion for them and where it comes
from Amencanta Connesta, Information Levento et Organization. I imagine that
you're going to be inviting all these people that you
are connecting Boston Fashion Awards, Like, what is it like?

(23:34):
Why fifteen years? Tell me a little bit about that.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
Well, Michael Soto's is the CEO and founder of Boston
Fashion Awards and he was first and foremost he was
a DJ. So him conducting or producing fashion shows, you
would never believe. But he knows fashion. Okay, he may
be a white man, but he knows fashion. And well,
I can say a mature white man. And there's some

(24:00):
things that I even get surprised, like how do you
know that? You won't believe. So he's just highlighting art.
He loves art. He loves people that express their line
of work passion right and there's always a story why
they did this, and what's.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
This year's story. Say that again, what's this year's story
behind the award show?

Speaker 2 (24:25):
This year's story is to heal, healing, healing, bringing people together.
There's a lot of competition when it comes to fashion,
and usually when it comes to Boston Fashion Awards, we
do not highlight that you're a winner. That's not what
the award is for. The award is for your ambitious determination,

(24:45):
hard work and showing your respect for your community. That's
why we do.

Speaker 1 (24:50):
That wow, And it's a recognition.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
Exactly to acknowledge you, to highlight you people, it makes
it breaks people.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
When is this event.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
It's going to be on eleven eleven, November eleventh, on
Veterans Day, and we'll help We Court Yard Marry It
in downtown Boston in the Theater District.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
On set the court Your Marry It like right next
to Mariel Mariel and the Wine Theater and that the
Theater district.

Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yes, okay, ok, it's going to be so the doors
open at seven am, seven am, seven pm at eleven
pm and it ends at eleven pm.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
Okay, who can go?

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Anyone?

Speaker 1 (25:32):
Can they do they have to buy tickets? Can they
just apply online? Can do they have to buy.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
The tickets at the door at event? Right search of
Boston Fashion Awards and you'll go. It'll send you to
the twenty twenty four to one. Usually the conversation is
always up in the air about selling tickets at the door,
but usually we will always have someone at the door
giving you the service. So, yes, you can also buy
tickets at the door.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
Okay, and anybody that is or is it twenty one plus.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
Twenty one plus? Well, I thank you for mentioning that. Yeah,
so not anyone can join to the event. You do
have to be twenty one and.

Speaker 1 (26:08):
Plus okay, excellent, So people Jello saven estebre Alas, sie
alas Anel Coyer, Marriott and Trimont Street a Yeas and
Contra called Mariela Garcia, Contolekipo the Boston Fashion Awards, Ivana Verme,

(26:33):
Mirmana Isabel Original As.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
The sponsors are Original living in Boston, Whiskey six, perform
a radio on television much more.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
Oh shout out to them and hopefully you can come
and and share this evening with us, Mariela muchisimas gracias
p comparristoria. It's in inspiring, It's something that you have
to share, and I am so glad to learn that
you are actually looking for those platforms where you can
get to connect with people. Compartier comparted to experiencia Darles

(27:14):
in spirac morea para salirixito. So thank you so much, Mariella.
Hope to see you here again. I want to hear
the recap of the event. Sabrimos ala Pedro Martinez. When
I went to spectacular visit El Pedro Martinez Foundation dot
org itam Viennolvi. Then the comparl Boston Fashion Awards, CAPASA

(27:42):
Boston Recording, q semos Bi Brastas youd E, Kemosake Pin
and Asserca. The Mariellael bas Del Boston Fashion Awards very
soon happening at the Marriot Courtyard this Monday.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
Thank you so much, marie I appreciate it so much.