Honoring military spouses: Meet Veronica

In a year marked by the need for resilience, it’s possible few people understand the concept as much as Chicago Schwabbie Veronica. In addition to managing life during the pandemic, Veronica has been supporting her husband, an active member of the Indiana Army National Guard, all while waging a personal fight against breast cancer.

“Not long after the pandemic began, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” says Veronica. “It’s been a difficult year, but my health is improving, and I’m so glad to have returned to work recently. My Schwab family has been so supportive, and I missed them very much when I was away.”

Veronica was born in Honduras, has lived in Florida, California and Illinois, and now resides in Northwest Indiana with her husband. In pre-pandemic times, she commuted to Schwab’s Chicago offices to support the Workplace Financial Services business over the past six years. She’s also an active member of the Military Veterans Network (MVN), one of Schwab’s many Employee Resource Groups. Veronica says her connections and support of the U.S. military have been life-long.

“Although I was born in Honduras, my mother married an American serviceman, and I came to this country as a child,” remembers Veronica. “It was part of my upbringing – the importance of the American culture and defending this wonderful country. There’s no better place on earth. We’re very fortunate here and there are more opportunities in this country than people realize.”

That spirit of service to country has been woven through Veronica’s life and continues with her support of her spouse. Although her husband Ramiro has a full-time civilian job, he’s been deployed with the 181^st Civil Engineer Squadron of the Indiana Air National Guard and with the 1413^th Engineer Company as a member of the Indiana Army National Guard.

And after what could only be described as a challenging year, Veronica says she remains hopeful. “Every day I find something positive and I focus on that. The little wins are the big wins in life. And those little wins help you tackle the battles that lie ahead.”