It was a day like so many others, when little Andrea Barela tagged along to work with her mother.
Veronica Barela, the longtime Denver economic activist, sat at her desk arguing with a man. The reason for the conflict eluded Andrea, but the words became heated as the man's demands crashed into her mother's opposition.
Such confrontations, while not unusual, always seemed vaguely frightening to a young child, Andrea recalls. But then, her mother stood up and ordered the man out of her office.
"I don't even know what it was about," says Andrea, 36, recalling one of many lessons she learned from a mom who never shied away from confrontation. "But I know she wasn't intimidated and that impacted me. I thought, wow, she's not afraid of nothing. She truly is fearless when it comes to stuff like that."
As the leader of NEWSED, the economic development nonprofit that counts the Santa Fe Drive revitalization among its achievements, Veronica Barela cultivated a reputation as a dogged neighborhood advocate and a fierce political foe — and someone who believed passionately in the betterment of the city's Latino community.
Andrea, born around the time her mom began her run heading the organization, basically grew up in its offices. Her mom often brought her to work from their Westminster home during school breaks rather than pay a babysitter.
And while as a child she hardly grasped the concept of economic development, Andrea came to understand what advocacy meant through her mother's work.
"I definitely grew up with a sense of understanding about what privilege meant and what underprivileged meant in our community," she says. "One thing very clear growing up was how hard she had to fight for what she wanted in this community. But she wasn't someone who'd be scared away by people's opposition."
Although Veronica Barela kept a busy schedule, Andrea recalls a childhood that left her feeling anything but neglected. Her mom kept constant tabs on her and established routines — and even when she unexpectedly worked late, she arranged family dinners at nearby restaurants.
By the time Andrea reached adulthood, she knew she wanted to work somewhere she could impact her community in the way her mom did.
She eventually joined Veronica at NEWSED, where she fills the role of development director. She and her mom have disagreements, but Andrea says their work relationship has evolved.
They listen to each other.
Andrea says her older sister, Anna Abeyta, more closely mirrors their mom's outspoken personality, while she had to overcome innate shyness. Those days hanging out with her mother at the office proved useful in that regard.
"It has taken time to break out of my own shell," Andrea says. "My mom showed me how not to be that way. You can't just live in your own bubble if you want to get things done."