Eugenio y Miriam Villa
Lombard, IL
Eugenio Villa's life story is one of triumph over whatever life threw at him. It's a true tale of stubborn refusal to settle and give up on his dreams — and proof that, with hard work, dreams do come true.
Born to a family of seven brothers and three sisters in Michoacán, Mexico, Eugenio grew up fast – as times were very difficult there. Then, in October of 1978, a 10-year-old Eugenio and his siblings joined their parents who had come to the Chicago area more than a year before.
By his second week in the States, Eugenio was enrolled in school and was working at a grocery store. Life was very hard – Eugenio had to learn English from scratch while trying to keep up in school and work his job to help support the family.
Although Eugenio excelled in school, there was no money for college. Working at a fast food restaurant, Eugenio was quickly promoted to management. "They worked me all the time but I did learn business skills."
One day, in 1990, an old soccer acquaintance asked Eugenio if he would like to make more money. "Of course, I said that I did," remembers Eugenio. The friend told Eugenio where to meet him at 8:00 the next morning.
"I showed up, and was just blown away by Primerica's concepts and the business opportunity1. And they were offering it to me – Eugenio Villa! I signed up on the spot because I was afraid they would change their minds!"2
From that day, there has been no stopping Eugenio. "I have overcome a lot of challenges to learn the business," says Eugenio. "Before Primerica, I had never sold anything before. I didn't know anything about financial products. But that's the beauty of Primerica. They teach you everything you need to know. Best of all, they teach you how to believe in yourself – and see yourself as a success."2
"Primerica has changed my life. Where else could a boy born with so much going against him in life, grow up to be a leader in a financial services company?"
