My Professional Journey

As many of us know, life doesn’t always go as planned. When you look back at your life are you able to identify pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of your life? I call these moments impact points. These are points in your life that help shape who you are.  

Impact Point #1 – moving in with my grandparents. This was a tough decision for my parents to make. It turned out to be a very good decision for me. My grandparents valued education and provided every opportunity for me to learn in and out of school.  “I never coached you during your baseball career because I taught you everything I know, and I wanted you to learn from everyone else” – Grandpa. This shaped my mindset to always observe and learn from others.   

  Impact Point #2 – transferring from The Ohio State University to Kent State University. There came a point that I wasn’t sure about the educational path I wanted to take. After visiting several colleges, it was the visit to Kent State University that motivated me to make the move. While here I met some incredible people from all over the world, even learned a little Japanese. It also provided unique experiences which included being a camp counselor at a camp for children with disabilities, and facilitated a fantasy baseball camp for the Cleveland Indians. Near graduation a job opportunity was announced for the Memphis Redbirds, AAA St. Louis Cardinals. One of my classmates already accepted a position. He advocated on my behalf which led to a job in sales and game day management.

Impact Point #3 – a message on AOL Instant Messenger. A friend from Kent State University moved to Phoenix, AZ and invited me to visit in November. Those who live here know how important it is to identify this month. I had an amazing visit and decided that I would like to move here. Two weeks later I packed up and made the move. No job, no family and only one friend. Job searching was hard, so I walked into the YMCA Scottsdale to share my sports programming experience. The timing was perfect. I became a sports coordinator, while also working in fitness and membership. This turned out to be the job that would change my entire career focus.  It was here where I met the Associate Director for the national non-profit, Mosaic. 

Impact Point #4 – accepting a position with Mosaic. Not knowing much about the disability community, it was the passion I felt every time the associate director spoke about the impact this organization has for so many individuals and families. With my sales background and a Gallup interview I became the Community Relations Manager. For those who have worked in non-profit know that everyone wears many hats and that was the case for this position. Being the first person in the position it allowed me to build the community program from the ground up. This opened my eyes to interacting with my community, creating dynamic partnerships and leading with my passion to help. I took these experiences into my next role as the Community Relationship Manager for MidFirst Bank and now my current position at Microsoft. 

 Impact Point #5 – message on LinkedIn. The Store Manager at the Microsoft Store Scottsdale sent a message sharing the Community Development Specialist position. I was intrigued that a technology company would provide me an opportunity to potentially join their team. After the interview I was blown away with their teamwork culture and accepted the position to leverage Microsoft resources to impact my community. While here one of my priorities was to best align the store to support the business community. This was right up my alley due to my past experiences and the store quickly started to adapt to fit the needs of our area businesses. With this success I transferred to the Microsoft Store in Chandler Fashion Center to manage their commercial business, while working closely with the Community Development Specialist to provide a wide range of resources for business customers. 

 “For me working in sales is about exploring how the products or services can improve someone’s life or business. Throughout my career, I have walked through every open door to challenge myself and adapt. This has provided me with amazing opportunities to grow personally and professionally. It is about the relationships you have, paired with the constant desire to learn.”

Passing my five-year mark at Microsoft, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not challenged, offered opportunities to impact my community or laugh with my team. 

Impact Point #6 - Graduating from Hispanic Leadership Institute Class of 2019.