When I first came up with the idea for the Amigas series, I thought about the many Latina women who, like Alicia, Jamie, and Carmen, had started out as entrepreneurial teenagers. Who, through hard work, imagination, and dedication, were able to take their passions and talents and become role models and successful adults. For me, Jennifer Lopez is such a woman. She has incredible drive and an amazing work ethic, qualities she shares with the girls in Amigas. They, too, needed an equal amount of determination to turn their quince-party-planning business into a huge success.

So, to get a better sense of this connection, I sat down with Jennifer, and we talked about quinces and what it was like for her as a Latina girl growing up in New York City. Here are some more of her answers….

—J. Startz

1.When you were a senior in high school, did you have a clear sense of what you wanted to pursue as a career in the future?

I didn’t know exactly what I was going to pursue, but I did know that I loved to dance and to perform in front of an audience, as I had already done a couple of musical plays at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and at my high school in the Bronx.

2.What extracurricular activity did you participate in that helped you zero in on what interested you the most?

I took up dancing and starred in a couple of plays in high school and at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, a local community organization for kids that had a performing arts program in New York.

3.What would you say to teenagers who develop a passion for a particular career interest at an early age? Through your own personal experience, what advice would you offer them as to how to nourish and excel in their passion?

My advice would be to study hard and try to become the best at what you want to do.