Nidia Cochran is believed to be the first Hispanic woman in Arkansas to become a licensed insurance agent.
Cochran, who was born in Mexico, moved to California at a young age with her family--then moved to Arkansas alone 18 years ago. After years of working as a translator, she wanted to break into the insurance business.
(Nidia Cochran, Nationwide Insurance Agent) “It was dominated by white Americans--there was no room for a woman with a heavy accent to come in and sit in those meetings. It was hard.”
But Cochran not only prevailed, she became a viable career agent in two years--a feat that was expected to take up to five years.
She attributes her success to--in the words of her grandmother—“Turning her disadvantages into advantages". She also credits her education.
(Cochran) “That's my mentality--that we have to be educated. If we want to have a voice, we need to be educated.”
Cochran says the Hispanic community in Arkansas has gone from a tiny, quiet group, to a strong, large family. A family she's proud to be part of.
(Cochran) “I'm happy to be a part of the community and show the Americans that we have a brain and we can do something else.”
Nidia met her husband--who's from Cabot--in Arkansas. They've been married 15 years, and have one daughter, Bianca, who is 11.
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