Page 128 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

LIVING HISTORY
Don’t look now, but fall days are sneaking up on us, which means the end of riding waves or chilling under a beachy shade, and also marks the recognition of Hispanic Americans' contributions to the Gulf Coast.
“And the Hispanic community and culture are continuing to blossom every day,” said Mariela Goodman, a real estate professional with Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty.
Hispanic Heritage Month will run until October 15 and highlights Hispanic culture and language, traditions and history, and contributions of Hispanic Americans.
And now, helping to rebuild the Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is solidified among those historic contributions. The Hispanic community was a salient feature of the Coast’s revival after the 2005 storm with a historic influx of Hispanic workers arriving to help rebuild. Many decided to make South Mississippi their home following the storm of the century.
“After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, I realized there was a great need from the Hispanic community when it came to obtaining their American dream of homeownership and decided to step in and put my heart and soul into helping them,” Goodman said.
Goodman was raised in Lima, the capital of Peru, and received a business degree before she left for the United States. She lived in Miami, Florida, and also in Austin, Texas, where she became a licensed real estate agent in 2003. She settled on the Gulf Coast in 2005 to continue her real estate career and raise a family.
“Katrina hitting was something that really marked my career,” she said. “After Katrina, the Hispanic community just blossomed, and I was not the only realtor here that spoke Spanish, but I was the only one that really focused on the Hispanic community.”
That continued focus has inspired Goodman to offer first-time home-buying seminars in Spanish complete with informational videos and led her to be deeply involved in the Hispanic community. She’s garnered numerous awards and for the
last 10 years has been tapped in the Top 250 of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, which celebrates leading Hispanic agents throughout the country.
“It’s not just about speaking Spanish,” she said. “To truly help, you have to know the culture and the way of doing business.” Goodman has even inspired many of her clients to follow in
her real estate footsteps. “I always let them know, this is a really good career and help in any way I can,” she said.
When she’s not busy with her real estate work or community involvement, Goodman loves to travel with her husband, and they have three teenage children who keep them busy.
128 | October 2023
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
story by Cherie Ward photo by Katherine Sowers