玛丽亚•里奥斯

• 公司：垃圾处理公司Nation Waste

• 年龄：46

里奥斯工作非常努力。她很小的时候就从萨尔瓦多来到了美国。以优异成绩从高中毕业后，她一边养家，一边读完大学。成立Nation Waste Inc.公司的时候，她并没有感到害怕。22岁的时候，里奥斯刚刚从休斯敦大学（the University of Houston）毕业几个月就贷款购买了两辆卡车，毅然投身由男性主导的垃圾处理行业。目前，这家位于休斯敦的公司有24名全职员工。里奥斯说：“回头看看过去的经历，总是让我感到吃惊。我很小的时候就跟着父母来到美国，现在我正在实现我的美国梦。”  

Maria Rios

• Company: Nation Waste, Inc.

• Age: 46

Rios is no stranger to hard work. She moved to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was a child. She graduated at the top of her high school class and raised a family while putting herself through college. She was not intimidated when she started Nation Waste Inc. At just 22, months after graduating from the University of Houston, she took out loans and purchased two trucks, jumping into the male-dominated waste-removal industry. Today, her Houston-based company has 24 full-time employees. "It is pretty amazing when I look back and see, I started as a little girl entering the United States with my parents and now I am truly living the American dream," says Rios.