Her Story
About Camila
I've been in the biopharmaceutical industry for going on 5 years now, and I just recently started as a scientist at Johnson & Johnson about 4 months ago. Throughout my career, I've promoted myself by moving from one company to another - I previously worked at Roche before joining Johnson & Johnson. My typical workday involves meetings in the morning, spending 4 to 5 hours in the lab, and then more meetings in the afternoon. But what really drives me is my work outside the lab. I'm part of 5 different mentoring groups where I mentor 5 different mentees, all focused on helping people in STEM, particularly those interested in biotechnology - chemical engineers, biology majors, and others. I specifically focus on the Latino and Latinx community because I myself am Hispanic, and I want to give back to my own community by helping guide people with their job applications, resumes, and career development. When I was growing up, I didn't have anyone that looked like me or spoke Spanish to look up to, apart from actresses in telenovelas. I used to be a janitor when I was young because my mom was a single mom and I helped her. I was one of only five people of Latin origin who graduated and went to college, and the other two were my brothers. I've come a long way, and I want people to know that you can do it too - it's about being consistent, not letting your dreams fall, and keeping fighting for what you believe in. That's what being influential means to me - not about being an influencer online or creating content on Instagram, but about who I am as a person and an individual, so that people who look like me can see me and say, 'She can do it, I can do it too.'
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Camila
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my mentorship is what really brings a lot of excitement and makes me proud of what I do - getting to share that knowledge with other people is my proudest moment. But beyond that, it's about being consistent and not letting your dreams fall. You just have to keep fighting for what you believe in. When I was growing up, I didn't have anyone that looked like me or spoke Spanish to look up to. I used to be a janitor when I was young because my mom was a single mom and I helped her, so I've come a long way. I was one of only five people of Latin origin who graduated and went to college, and the other two were my brothers. It's about being resilient - if you get rejected from so many job applications, you just keep going. You push hard enough, you're resilient, you get back up. If it's not for my parents, I wouldn't be here. If anybody deserves recognition, it's my parents. I truly appreciate their support in all of this - they helped me from when I was little all the way to where I am now.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I want people to know that you can do it too. When I was growing up, I didn't have anybody that looked like me - I was one of five people that graduated and went to college that were of Latin origin, and the other two were my brothers. I used to be a janitor when I was young because my mom was a single mom, so I used to help her, and I've come a long way. It's about being consistent and not letting your dreams fall. You just have to keep fighting for what you believe in. If you push hard enough, if you're resilient, if you get back up, if you get rejected from so many job applications, you just keep going. That's what it means to me to be influential - it's not about if I'm an influencer online or if I create content on Instagram. It's about who I am as a person, as well as an individual. I want people that look like me to see me and say, 'Oh wait, she can do it, I can do it too,' or 'I would love to do what she does.'
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Spending time with family is very central to me. In a busy week, or if I feel like I'm being burnt out, I just always come back home and spend time with my nieces and nephews, and they just ground me because I don't have to be anybody but the fun aunt. I'm very family-oriented. Beyond family, giving back to my community is incredibly important - I specifically focus on mentoring the Latino and Latinx community because I myself am Hispanic, and I want to give back to my own community. I want to bring awareness that you can do it as well. Being influential to me is not about being an influencer online or creating content - it's about who I am as a person and as an individual. I think that I have qualities that people could look up to, and I want people who look like me to see me and know they can do it too.
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