Meet Larissa Irizarry | Entrepreneur & Homemaker Extraordinaire
We had the good fortune of connecting with Larissa Irizarry and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Larissa, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in the eastern European country of Romania, and from a very young age I had to take care of my young sister. Before I was able to finish 1st grade, my mother took us to an orphanage because she could no longer raise us. Sadly what I learned from that experience was that I had to fight tooth and nail if I wanted to do anything with my life. Thankfully I am very competitive in nature, so I started attending many olympiads at school, competed with many other classmates to stay at the top of my class and decided to always use education as a means to make it in life. It was either that or end up on the streets and in prostitution. Years later I moved to the US for my senior year in high school as an exchange student, received a scholarship for college and the rest is history.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
To some, it way seem that I carry many hats, where in reality my biggest passion and dream is to help others succeed in life. At heart, I am and always will be an educator. I love to teach others about what I know and share what I am passionate about. Because my strength had always been in math, it was only natural to specialize in business. Armed with a degree from DBU, I became a licensed real estate professional when I was only 23. I bought my first house at 24 and since then I dabbled in the world of real estate investments along side raising my three kids. As a young couple, my husband and I fought hard against the rat race, worked our tails off to pay off debt and are thankfully on track to changing our financial makeup for generations to come. Recently (in Spring 2023), I became certified as a Financial Coach, and now, in addition to real estate, I focus on helping others achieve a better version of the American Dream. One where people can live debt free, own their home and be financially free for generations to come. My biggest dream is to be able to develop many acres of land, where I can provide affordable housing to people I’ve trained to do better financially. I want to take that concept back to my homeland in Romania and in many other places.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend were to visit, we would probably go check out GEN K-BBQ, then have some taiyaky for desert at SomiSomi in Carrolton. Because we have school age kids, we visit all of the area museums, like Perot, DMA, the Dallas and Ft Worth Arboretums, and entertainment spots such as Boulder Adventure, Epic Park or Andretti’s, to name a few. My favorite spots in the city, would have to be K-town, in Carrolton. As many in recent years, I became enamored with the Korean culture… So much so, that my family and I even hosted an exchange student from South Korea this year!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First of all, I would have not been where I am today had I not had God in my life. As cliche as that might sound, He was my only hope, and my biggest cheerleader. He orchestrated my life so beautifully, that there are many, many key people for whom I am grateful. The first early couple I have to recognize are Dan & Daniela Pierce, my foster family. As a teenager I wanted to be cool and hang out with friends, but Dan & Dana helped me stay focused on my studies and dare to dream for more. They helped me become an exchange student to the States, and in many ways ignited my desire to strive in life. Next I want to thank my husband. He is always encouraging me to go after whatever I am interested in, does not say “no” even to my craziest ideas, and always tries to find a way to support me. I would not be where I am today if he was not always there to pick up my slack, or to be my designer, handy man and what not.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homes_by_larissa/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissa-irizarry-b3a55224/
Image Credits
Headshot credit to Raquel Angweni Photographer
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