Esperanza "Hope" Padilla Ayala was born and grew up on Fort Worth's north side, where she still lives. In her mind, a strong Latina "embraces her community, gives back to that community ... understands her responsibility to promote hope, idealisms and assist others in defining their future." Well into her eighties, she still lives by those tenets; she remains involved as a volunteer at her church and with an organization called The Goodfellows. She's passed on those ideals of community activism to her three children, who are also deeply involved in their community. She has nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Esperanza stands in front of the Catholic Men's Club, which used to be the San Jose Catholic Church, the heart of religious and social life in the Fort Worth neighborhood where she grew up.
Esperanza still has the speech she read as valedictorian of her senior class at Mount Carmel Academy in Fort Worth. The academy is now All Saints Catholic School.