Judy (Carranza) Azua graduated from Dublin High School in 2011, and started working as a hostess at Pulido’s restaurant in Stephenville (since closed). “As I was working there at the restaurant, I would take hours down and do the payroll side of things, close up the business at night,” she said. “That just kind of sparked my interest in the business part of things.”
That interest in business would lead Azua to become the first in her family to go to college, and launch a successful career working for local businesses.
After working at Pulido’s for several years, Azua took a job bookkeeping at H&R Block. She balanced the work with another job at a law office, McKethan Espinoza (now just McKethan).
In 2016, Azua decided to go to college to broaden her career opportunities. She started at Weatherford College, where she studied accounting, then transferred to Tarleton for a bachelors in business administration. She graduated with her degree in August of 2020.
“I am a first generation college grad, so I had to push myself to show everyone that I could do it,” she said. “Nobody [in my family] knew how to do anything with college applications, loans or anything. So I had to figure it all out myself.”
In 2021, after graduating college, Azua got married to Michael Azua, who she’d met while working at Pulido’s. They welcomed their first daughter later in 2021.
That same year, Azua found a job working as the office manager for Cashon Air Conditioning in Stephenville, where she still works today. “I do all of their finances and keep track of everything that goes through the office,” she said. “I do payroll. I close out their monthly reconciliations. I get everything ready for the taxes to get sent out to the accountant, and I keep track of all the sales.”
An average week depends on the season. “Summertime is just crazy busy for us,” she said. “The phone rings off the hook. And right now I have both my daughters at work. They’ve always let me take my girls to work with me, so that’s been a little crazy, and it’s fun.”
Azua appreciates the family-friendly work environment. “They’re very flexible with me, so anytime I need any time off with my girls for school things, extracurriculars, whatever they have going on, they’re very flexible,” she said. “It’s a good job overall, the owner is the sweetest.”
When she’s not working, Azua enjoys spending time with her husband and their two daughters, Arriana 5, and Kylie, 2. “My girls love being outside, so [we’re usually doing] anything that has to do with being outside, whether it’s the park, the pool, or just going out exploring — my daughter calls it her ‘adventures.’” The family also enjoys traveling. “Any time we get time off together, we like to go out and explore,” she said. “We like trying new restaurants and just visiting new places. We just got back from Alabama.”
Azua and her family currently live in Lingleville. Her husband works for Classic Rope in Stephenville. Her parents, Sylvia and Martin Carranza, still live in Dublin. Her mother works for Prime Metal Buildings and her father is a truck driver for CMS.
Azua’s greatest sources of inspiration in her life right now are her two daughters. “I want to go further in my career so I can do more for my girls,” she said. “I want to do bigger things for them — maybe start my own business.”
Azua offers the following advice to Dublin graduates: “Keep pushing forward, and no matter what happens, it’s all part of God’s bigger plan,” she said. “Just keep pushing forward to get where you want to be.”
— Where Are They Now chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.