Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, former member of the Texas House of Representatives and practicing pharmacist, is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in the Nov. 4, 2014 general election. She is facing off against either senatorial colleague Dan Patrick or the three-term Republican officeholder Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, depending on the outcome of the May 27 Texas primary runoff elections. The Tejano daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, pharmacist, and politician is running with gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, who first came to national attention for her sneaker-clad 11-hour filibuster of abortion restrictions.

Van de Putte credits her personal, professional, and political career to strong backing from parents, an intense concern for education and community, and a deep understanding of the obstacles that Latino parents face. The Tacoma, Washington-born San Antonio resident offered details about her upbringing, home life, and inspiration in an exclusive interview with Latin Post. She spoke of being inspired by her grandfather, who owned a Mejicano botica pharmacy that sold herbal and traditional medicines. The pharmacy also functioned as "the heart and the soul of the Chicano Americano community."

Van de Putte's grandfather, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and her many primos hermanos (first cousins raised as brothers and sisters) lived in a four-block radius of Van de Putte and her siblings.

Everyone spoke Spanish; the language echoed throughout their homes and carried down the streets as they played outdoors, until "out of love" parents made her and the other children stop speaking Spanish. During the pre-civil rights era, children were often punished for speaking Spanish at school, so families dissuaded their children from speaking Spanish both in the classroom and at home, though "of course, Spanish was the language used if you were speaking to any of the abuelitas."

The family-centered household focused on the needs of the kids, school, and church, and was governed by parents who believed in promoting success at home, at school, and in life. Despite the blatant racism of the times, Van de Putte was thrust forward by family reminders that she could be anybody and that she could do anything.

"My mother always told me that I was among the first generation of women who would be defined by not who my daddy was, or by who my husband was. And, she said, 'That's a great, great freedom, but that's also a huge responsibility. You have to own up to it. You have to be prepared.'" Van de Putte said of her mother, whose family came from Guadalajara.

"Her dream for me was to find a good man, have a great family, but she also recognized that if something happened, I would need to rely on my own education and my own skill set to take care of my children. Very, very different than her generation," Van de Putte said. "And my dad empowered me to think about myself very differently. So, when people would say, 'Oh, what a pretty little girl' after he would introduce me, the first thing he would say is, 'She's the smartest girl in her class.' Right away, he put it in my head that it's not about looking pretty, it was about being smart."

Van de Putte admits she wasn't actually the smartest girl in her class, but since her father said it, she thought it might be true, prompting her to study more.

Her father also emphasized strength. "I never had the Barbie-girl figure, and I had big thighs, and if you have that, you can do broad jumps, you can do hurdles, and you can do relays, so I was into sport."

"My takeaway from childhood," Van de Putte said, "is that you never know how the words of a parent, family member or teacher can spark that confidence in a child."

Van de Putte says the wisdom shared by her parents is not unique to them, that those insights are communicated by all Latino parents. Latino parents and grandparents will do almost anything if they think it will influence the life of their children or grandchildren, she says.

But that encouragement and aid is strained or lost when parents and caretakers have to work two or three jobs, which is often the case with Latino families with children at Title 1 schools (where at least 40 percent of students come from low-income families). Faculty and staff ask, "Why don't they come to the PTA meetings?"

Van de Putte says it's because these parents are working at night: they're the waitresses and hotel maids "doing most of the work."

Being a mother is the greatest joy and responsibility," said the practicing pharmacist with six children and six grandchildren, "but, it's being a parent. Our challenge is that we use every opportunity to empower parents and understand their family life."

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