My Best Career Opportunity Started with a Rejection
How a conference I didn't want to attend became the turning point in my career.
A few years ago, I received an email at work announcing that employees could apply to attend various professional conferences. Some were familiar to me, including the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), an organization I had been involved with throughout college.
I applied and was selected.
For SHPE.
Not SWE.
At the time, I was disappointed. When I realized I had been selected to attend the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) conference instead, I immediately emailed to ask whether I could switch.
The answer was no.
Looking back now, that rejection ended up becoming one of the best things that ever happened to my career.
What I Had Been Missing
I've always enjoyed volunteering. In high school, I looked for opportunities to get involved whenever I could. In college, I stayed active through organizations like SWE and Women in Engineering at Michigan State University. But once I started my professional career, volunteering slowly moved to the back burner. Work became busy, life became busy, and somewhere along the way, I stopped making time for something I genuinely enjoyed.
Attending SHPE in 2024 reminded me of what I had been missing.
I went as a professional attendee, not as part of an organized Amazon volunteer group. A few of us attended together, and we spent the week networking, meeting students, reviewing résumés, helping with interview preparation, and sharing our experiences. Along the way, I even ran into a childhood neighbor from Brazil. Thousands of attendees, hundreds of companies, and somehow, our paths crossed again. It was a reminder of just how small the world can be.
What stood out most, however, were the connections.
Some of the students I met during that conference still keep in touch with me today. We check in on one another, celebrate accomplishments, and I continue helping where I can. What started as a few conversations at a conference became relationships that lasted long after the event ended.
Returning in 2025
When SHPE came around again in 2025, I applied immediately.
This time, I attended as an Amazon volunteer.
Returning felt different. I wasn't there just to network or learn. I was there to help students navigate opportunities that I had once been searching for myself.
During the conference, I met the Global President of Latinos at Amazon. As we talked, I shared something I genuinely cared about: creating opportunities for students and becoming more involved in early-career mentorship.
I wasn't trying to join a board.
I was simply looking for ways to become more involved because creating opportunities for students was something I genuinely cared about.
That conversation led to additional conversations, and eventually, I was invited to join the Board of Directors for Latinos at Amazon.
None of It Was Part of the Plan
While joining the board was an incredible honor, it isn't the part of the story that matters most to me.
What matters most is that none of it was part of the plan.
I didn't set out to join a board. I didn't attend SHPE looking for a leadership position. In fact, I almost didn't appreciate the opportunity at all because I was so focused on the conference I thought I wanted.
Looking back, the most meaningful opportunities in my career haven't come from perfectly executed plans. They've come from staying open to unexpected paths, showing up, and investing my time in things I genuinely care about.
Sometimes, the opportunity you almost pass up is the one that changes everything.
