Rosemary Cardenas is an adventurous explorer of all things ‘outside the box’ of South Phoenix. Now a CEO of an organization with resources to make a difference in her community, the many experiences throughout her life, make sense. This purpose-driven community visionary has plans to further push her community outside the boundaries of their imagination.
Rosemary Cardenas was born in the year 1963, in Phoenix, Arizona. With her family residing in a small town in New Mexico, her parents eventually moved their family to Arizona for better opportunities. Her father worked in the construction industry, which meant his knowledge and skills allowed him to build their family home, in South Phoenix, near 14th Ave and Southern Rd. This was where they settled and raised their six children – three older boys and three younger girls. During the early years of Rosemary’s life, her mother was a homemaker. When her mother decided to enter the workforce as a teacher’s assistant, it seemed to mark her path as a life-long educator.
Her family likely decided to settle here in Arizona because of a system of changes that began to take shape in the mid to late 20th century. During the 1940s, and into the 1960s in Arizona, the agricultural, farming, and construction industries were on the rise. This caused an increase in newcomers to Arizona, seeking better opportunities for the future. The lower portion of Phoenix, south of the Salt Rivers, was mostly designated for people of color due to housing segregation. Although people of color built up their own respective communities within the South Phoenix community, because of their proximity to each other, led to the diversity that still exists today.
Being raised in a religious environment, Rosemary contributes her success to her Catholic faith. Her faith has always been a part of her life. From the 1st to 8th grades, Rosemary attended St. Catherine’s school. Not only did she attend the school, but her family attended St. Catherine’s Perish, which helped to instill basic righteous principles into her life.
After graduating from West High School, Rosemary did not want to attend college. However, her parents left her no option, enrolling her in South Mountain Community College during the first year that it opened in 1981. Although she enjoyed campus life, her academics were not a priority, so she did not graduate.
Rosemary, being an adventurous soul, begins to explore different interests and environments, which always leads her back home. She attended ASU for a short two months. She then begins a 10-year career in banking. She tried her hand at politics in 1988, interning for an Arizona Senator and moving to Washington, D.C. She even lived in Indiana for a short while. After returning home, she attended Gateway Community College to become a Certified Nurse’s Assistant. After seeing and experiencing different cultures, states, careers, and perspectives, Rosemary began questioning why these fun and amazing life aspects were largely limited to White/Caucasian people.
After meeting and marrying her husband in 1994, the couple had three daughters from their union. It was decided that Rosemary would be a stay-at-home mom, where she homeschooled her children off and on, for over twenty years.
Rosemary went back to work when her sister was hospitalized with Covid-19 and was near death. With her sister being unable to run their family companies, Rosemary took over the entity ‘Project America’. Acting as current CEO, Rosemary has been able to see where she can enact change in her community based on all her life experiences. Rosemary speaks of a 100-year plan to enhance her community in various ways, starting with addressing the most basic of living skills, employment, banking, homeownership, career programs, education, entertainment, and artistic expression. In doing so, she is letting her community know that they too can be great and have it all, with no limitations.
| Place of Origin | St. Joseph Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Place of Residence | South Phoenix |
| Years Active | 30 years |
| Occupation | CEO of Project America |
| Recording Date | 02/12/2024 |
| Location | South Phoenix |
| Recording Duration | 01:23:21 |
| Interview Conducted By | Dr. Summer Cherland |
| Story Written By | Priscilla Lujan |
Metadata Table
South Phoenix Oral History Project 