On Wednesday Feb. 2 I had a chance to interview Raquel Quezada from Haverhill she is currently studying psychology in Northern Essex Community College. She is an author,and used to be a journalist in Dominican Republic.

Raquel Quezada has a radio program on Saturday Changing the World with Person with Disability from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. it can be listen on 89.3 FM also in Instagram live @Cambiandoelmundo04.

Quezada mentioned me how she become an author “I have a child with disability one of the struggle that we have how to navigate the system breaking the barrier that we have in our community our society and also in our culture so he was my biggest aspiration for me to write the book to break the barrier with disability and their I share you know stuff that family member struggle but also education for parents that have kids and their special education.

She started writing books four years ago she mentioned to me “I just submit my fifth book and I believe I never going to stop because something that inspired me to much,” said Quezada.

For the children book it doesn’t take her to long to write unlike the adult book. “For the adult it takes me 1 year, 6 month for the children book it took me 1, 2 or 3 week,” Quezada said.

You can buy her books on Amazon, Walmart, online on target and in Barnes and Nobble. She mentioned to me “Here at the library at Northern Essex and also in the local community business Vecina Beauty Supply in Lawrence,” Quezada said.

Then we talked about the radio program that she has on Saturday morning “In order for us as latino as a parents as a advocated to make a difference in our community you have to be in the table and I believe the only way for me to make a change and just share my knowledge and make a difference is to be at a table so I applied to be apart of the board member for the Massachusetts developmental disability of council which I am there for the past three years,” Quezada said. She also mentioned that “As a secretary to we been navigating the system and looking for those barrier that the latino community have which right know is the language barriers and the barrier that they have to get the resource that are available in our country and in our community to,” she said.

I asked her what is harder writing a book or having a radio show?

“I believe it is both because being the first Latina her in Massachusetts to have a radio show for education with people of disability it was hard for me to looking for space once I was their people start getting like to know better and educate more and also the same thing for as a author that they talked about you each of the same educational part people with disability but you know I am making my way and I believe what I am doing I’m really passion about it, Quezada said.

Quezada, she used to work on radio and television as a journalist in Dominican Republic.

She told me that it is a long process to get prepared for the program “First I gathering the people that is going to participate on Saturday. On Monday we start inviting the people and then on Tuesday we start gathering the topic that they going to talk and then I do the agenda what is going to happen on Saturday and then I do my resource about topic… I combine seven professional in the radio show tv the topic that is very value also for our community for example last week we were talking about depression and right know depression in the education part is very high value right know because with the pandemic there is a lot of people that have depression so we try to incorporate topic that are very value…,” Quezada said.

She inspired people when she goes back to Dominican Republic “I believe you is a good example for your brother, sister, your family and you know we are have something to set as an example in our community so I believe I been inspired a lot of people especial parents. I had two people that I been inspired to be author that they are current with child with disability they wrote a book because of me because I mentor them for doing it and that’s one of the thing that I identified myself I like to mentor people I like to push people, I like to let them know that even themselves it is not about the situation that they have right know it is the future that the have for them and so yeah I am a mentor and I like to set an example for everybody,” Quezada said.

She want learn people with learning of disability “You guys are very unique people that help that you guys need and be whatever you guys want in the world. I always think parents in order for us to empower our kids we as a parent have to impower our self to believe in our self and to get all the opportunity other resource all the program that is out there for our kids and from there you guys going to believe in your self the way you do it. I always say to you I am very proud of you… nothing happen for no reason accept always the diagnostic and get the help that they need not only with the kid of disability but also for the whole member of the family,” Quezada said.

One thing in life she want to accomplished that she still haven’t accomplished is that she want to be in Telemundo.

Quezada also was recognized as The Newman Civic Fellowship.