Alejandra Pareles Zanotti

I attribute my success to God, first of all. And then to my willingness to try things and explore - you know, to be a lawyer and to move to a new country, to learn a new language, because English is actually my third language. I had to start from scratch and learn on the go, because that was my experience. I needed to learn everything I know right now while I was doing it. I started as an assistant, picking up cables, handing bottles of water to everyone, picking up food for them, and little by little, I just found my way up there. It's been about being willing to say yes to opportunities and being open to learning new things, even when you don't know how to do them yet.

Say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. That's the main thing that has opened doors for me in every aspect of life. Well, first of all, it's God, of course, but the willingness to try stuff has been absolutely critical. Never say no - just be willing to try things and explore, even if you don't know how to do something yet.

Be willing to do the job. I mean, if they ask you to make a cup of coffee, but you are somehow an executive in another career, but you want to start here, you have to be willing to the job and help any way you can or you’re willing to learn how to. You can't be too proud to start at the bottom. When I started in film, I picked up cables, handed out bottles of water, picked up food for people - and that's how I learned and worked my way up. You have to be humble and willing to learn, no matter what your background is.

Being an immigrant is a challenge, not even just in the U.S., but I think in the whole world. Right now, the concept of not being from here - it doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter how good you were in your country, or how much money you had before, you have to start from scratch as an immigrant. So that's been the most challenging part of my life - becoming an immigrant and doing it right. You have to prove yourself all over again, regardless of what you accomplished before.

For me, my faith is the center of my life, and family. I think my faith in Jesus and my family are the most important values to me. Everything I do comes back to those two things - they guide my decisions and give meaning to my work and personal life.