WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha artist and TV star is back in her hometown to help it heal. Carmen De La Paz is someone you should know as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
"How does a short Puerto Rican kid from Wisconsin end up on 55 television shows with two Emmy nominations, traveling the world teaching their passion?" asked Carmen.
Carmen says it is because she continued to believe in herself. She was born in Puerto Rico but grew up in Waukesha, where she graduated from Waukesha North High School.
“I’m a North Star,” Carmen said.
She left Waukesha for Los Angeles, starring in shows like HGTV's Hammer Heads and currently the Spanish-language version of Ask This Old House.
But five years ago, while visiting her family in Waukesha, an aneurysm burst in her head. She says she woke up to a priest asking if she wanted her last rites. As Carmen lay in her hospital bed, she prayed.
"It was, 'Leave me here and use me for your greater good. I'm not done yet.' And I 150 million percent believe the Waukesha tile project and the Waukesha community is why I was left behind to fulfill some things that still needed to be done on Earth," Carmen said.
Watch: Successful TV host, artist returns to help the Waukesha community:
That tile project is for the Waukesha Christmas Parade victims' memorial. Carmen originally volunteered to make 500 tiles with the community. They are now closing in on 1,200. She is still frantically working to finish and has not had a night off since it began. She continues to juggle her other art and TV jobs while also working on the project in Waukesha. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The ultimate message is to believe in yourself, and there is nothing you can't do. The only person who is going to tell you 'no' is you,” Carmen said.
You can see the memorial tiles in person on November 21, 2024, at 4:39 p.m., which will mark 3 years since the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy.
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