Her mother and father left work in the fields when her father found work as a railroad laborer with the Missouri, Kansas Texas Railroad Company, often called “The Katy Line.” He retired from the railroad after 38 years. He remained, all of his life, a permanent resident alien. Her mother, born in Crystal City, Texas, became a favorite waitress in the small town café where she worked for more than 30 years.

One of nine children, Senator Guzman grew up in poverty, and her parents were never able to purchase a home of their own. But her family gained a deep respect among the people in the community where they lived for 45 years.

She never forgot the hard life her parents suffered, and has always had a keen sense of respect for the laboring person who works hard, overcomes injustices, and believes in a better world for their children and grandchildren. She has taken the experiences of her childhood and family concerns and built a solid understanding and respect for all people and the journeys they walk.

One of Senator Guzman’s greatest personal tragedies was the brutal murder of her 73-year-old father, who was killed in a robbery of the gas station where he worked to earn extra retirement dollars. The loss of her father in this terrible incident shook the community and, of course, her family. Yet to this day, she adamantly opposes the death penalty and has spoken to many groups on this subject.

Despite the financial and social obstacles Senator Guzman and her family faced, she was determined to get an education. She worked her way through college to obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and has since led a career that has taken her down many adventurous paths and earned great respect and admiration from those who come in contact with her.

She was appointed to the Senate in May 2010, and was elected to a full four-year term in the November 2010 election. In 2012, she served as Vice Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as a member of the Finance and Legislative Audit committees.

She has lived in northwest Denver for 28 years. As one northwest Denver resident recently said about Senator Guzman, “To know her is to love her.”