Thank you for being part of the Quijano Family. We take pride here in being one big family. Nelly Quijano and her husband built their business from scratch. Ms. Quijano is living proof that with enough perseverance and hard work anything is possible. Born in Cuba and forced to flee at a young age through the Operation Peter Pan, she arrived to the U. S. alone and with nothing to her name. “I was the only child; you can imagine the sacrifice (my parents) were making to be willing to separate from me to make sure I had freedom,” she says. “Havana was not the same place I loved after Castro took power,” Quijano said. “I remember hoping that the nightmare would end and that Havana would someday return to normal.” Together with her high school sweetheart and husband Nelly and Dominic faced the world head on and began building their future business.  They had two daughters Marisol and Mariselle. After their  textile factory in New Jersey was destroyed by a fire in 1984, a new beginning was born from the ashes. The Quijano's moved to Houston and opened their first McDonald's on Harrisburg. She credits the success of the McDonald’s restaurant to the family-oriented environment they created for staff and management. “My husband and I opened and closed the restaurant together,” she said. “We worked very long hours but we all supported one another and got the job done. Those were some of the best times I ever had.” The couple has been credited with creating the famous McDonald’s Breakfast Burrito. “When my husband and I moved to Houston to open the restaurant, we noticed that the people enjoyed eating tacos and other spicy food for breakfast,” she said. They did not want to lose business to the local taco trucks around town and decided to create a breakfast taco of their own. “We took our idea to the McDonald’s corporation and they told us after we make it, they would test it and let us know how people responded to it.” Quijano’s McDonald’s franchise has grown to 25 Houston area restaurants that she operates with her daughter Mariselle, former board president at Pasadena ISD. Quijano emphasizes excellence and pride and strives to be number one. Their small McDonald’s family has grown to over 1,500 employees who they personally know. “We are always on the frontlines,” she said. “I feel like a mom with the staff, especially the young people because I am always there for them as a leader and a friend.” “Whether students apply for a scholarship or work at McDonald’s, we provide a foundation of support that helps them make the best decisions for their future. I am forever thankful for my family’s decision to send me to America because I am free to make decisions that impact the community in a positive way - it’s the ultimate gift of the American dream.”-Nelly But her proudest accomplishment is helping establish McDonald’s Hispanic American Commitment to Education Resources Foundation — known by its initials, HACER — which has awarded $4.5 million to disadvantaged Hispanic students since it was established in 1985. The Spanish word “hacer” means “to make.”  “To me, this is about making reality the dreams that we all have when we come to America through the power of education,” said Quijano. “I wanted to help other kids to get the education that I so much wanted when I came… but with nothing to pay for it.”