The Catapult
When Surainet Rodríguez arrived in Charlotte on December 2017, she brought with her much more than a suitcase. She carried the weight of difficult decisions, the pain of leaving her country, and the hope of building a safe future for her family.
Her arrival in the United States marked the beginning of a new life, but also of great challenges. Without a bank account and facing language barriers, Surainet began working while looking for ways to settle in. Thanks to a friend, she learned about the Latino Credit Union, where she found not only a place to open her first savings account, but also a helping hand in Jimmy, who guided her through obtaining her ITIN (W7) and starting to build her credit history.
“From the very first day, they didn’t treat me like just another client; they made me feel at home,” she recalls. That trust, along with access to tools and financial education workshops, encouraged her to keep learning, planning, and dreaming.
Today, just a few years later, Surainet is the proud owners of two homes financed through the credit union and along with her husband, leaders of Dynamic Skills and Talent Corporation, a staffing company that not only provides for their family but has also served as a catapult for many, especially single mothers seeking a dignified job opportunity. She also founded K-an Beauty & Spa, a space where individuals starting out or seeking to embark as beauty professionals can practice their services, build their careers, and establish a clientele.
Surainet continues to expand her entrepreneurial vision. Her philosophy is clear: help others the way she would have wanted to be helped. She has provided jobs, temporary housing, and support to newly arrived individuals, encouraging them not to stay in one place, but to use each experience as momentum toward their own goals.
Looking back, she recognizes that her journey has been full of sacrifices, but also of seeds that are now blooming. “If you want to achieve big things, you have to make big sacrifices. The important thing is to surround yourself with the right people and take advantage of opportunities.”
For the credit union, her story is more than a testimony of success it’s a reminder of why it exists. LCCU is here so that people can find not only financial services, but also a community that believes in them and enriches them through the power of people helping each other. Surainet is living proof that with determination, support, and the right tools, no goal is unreachable.