Today we’d like to introduce you to Milagros Belmares.
Milagros, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello, I was born and raised in Brownsville, TX, what people refer to as El Valle. I am the first of my generation to not only attend college but graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. During my time in college I served in numerous of student organizations and even on the board of most of these because I always felt the calling of leadership. My hard work and dedication provided me with the opportunities of internships, in DC for a government agency and even Dell technologies out of Austin. I worked my way through college at Whataburger, and I attribute my growth to the experience I was provided in leading a team there as well. I graduated college and my first career job came out of a North East Texas, working for Aerostar, scientific balloons being built right here where most people were unaware of. I dedicated 8 years of my life to the scientific balloon community and started looking for growth in other areas. I now work for a leading edge company that manufactures radio frequency cables used in fighter jets and it is has been a whirlwind but all in a positive manner. I love learning, growing, and that only happens when we get out of our comfort zone. I danced though most of my teenage/ young adult life, and I was able to apply this background into leading group exercise classes back in 2019. Cardiokick was introduced to me by a local gym called Snap Fitness, and then Cardiokick with Milly was developed to help promote movement. In our culture, obesity is very prominent, I wanted to open an outlet for women to feel comfortable working out without the fear of where do I start. Then covid happen and that made it difficult to gather people to workout together, so I started doing FB lives to keep people engaged. I welcomed my son in December of 2021. I definitely took a step back from myself. Then I became complacent and putting myself and my needs and goals in the back burner. But when I became a single mom, the drive to not only provide for myself but for my child, the need to show not only myself but for my son that goals are never ending, always capable of reaching and achieving. I started my running journey summer of 2025 and I have not looked back since. I just completed a 20 mile Mammoth March that gets hosted in Glen Rose, TX and my ultimate goal is to complete a 50K trail run. I cannot wait to bring my son along for the races, we are doing a 5K next month but he is 4 years old. No expectations other than for us to have fun together.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to success has never been easy. As a women in a predominantly male driven career has always been a challenge. I learned early on that I needed to prove myself and the best way I knew how to do that was through my work ethic. I started building up my resume, but not in the traditional manner, I built mine with intention. I joined student organizations and I wanted to be a part of the movement/ the change, I wanted to serve as more than just a member, I wanted to lead. And hard work definitely speaks for itself, I served as a senator the college of engineering and computer science, I served as the VP for the Society of Women Engineers and in return through applications and interviews I was able to obtain an internship for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a Co-Op with Toyota and Disney world and an internship with Dell Technologies. I whole heartedly believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I started marketing my self/ my work through a portfolio I carried with me to conferences and built my own business cards as a student that showcased my skills, my work, my experiences.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My background is in Mechanical Engineering, and when I graduated women representation was pretty scarce. I am definitely proud of not giving up even when at times that seemed like the easiest solution. I now manage the biggest program for my company, the F-35 program. I couldn’t possibly take the credit for its success because there is a long list of people that came before me, and continue to contribute to the success of this program. But I am very fortunate to be able to join a team that is dedicated to the success of not only the program but of the success for the group as a whole. I am thankful to be able to learn from my mistakes, there is no growth without failure. Needless to say I am very much a spitting image of my parents. I represent their core values and hard work ethic. They showed me that there are endless possibilities “y echandole ganas todo se puede”. The road has not been easy but my parents have been my biggest support system and through my trials and tribulations they never left my side.
What are your plans for the future?
For myself, I definitely plan on being able to grow both in my career path and personal growth. I want to continue to take on leadership roles, I plan on completing more races, I want to welcome in new experiences. I look forward to continue to set an example for my son and build a foundation in which he can build from and grow.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbelmares?igsh=NXcxb3hoa3IzMXNl&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1K8vP7ZcJk/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milagros-belmares?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
