Carolina Cartier Wilhite

I attribute my success to my dad. He really pushed me to finish school and work hard. My dad always taught me, you know, to work hard, and if you work hard and do a good job and find something stable, you'll be successful. I think that's what's kept me successful this long. He really pushed me to finish school and work hard, so yeah, my dad, definitely.

I think the best advice I've ever received would be to follow your heart, you know? Sometimes we try to use logic to make sense of a situation, and I don't know, I feel like whenever you follow your heart, you're just - that's like a sign that you're going in the right direction. So I think that's the best advice that I've ever received.

I would say not to take anything personally, because in a lot of the industries that I've worked in, they were male-dominated, and, you know, it can be intimidating. People fear your success, and they'll say or do things to steer you maybe in the wrong direction, and you really have to just not take anything personally, you know? Like, you got there for a reason, and you have to be proud of that. Sometimes just being there shows that you made it. When I worked in aviation, it was like all men - I think I worked with like 2 or 3 women. And those guys, I don't think they do it intentionally, but they do put a lot of pressure on you, and I don't know if it's because they feel like you're in their space, or because you're a woman, or you're a mom, like, you don't have time to prioritize your work. And it's like, you know, I'm smart, I have a degree, I got here for a reason, it's not because I knew somebody or I slept with somebody, which is usually what they think. I literally studied here, and somebody gave me this job because they saw potential. So, you know, sometimes you listen or you fall into that, like, they're trying to make my work hard, or whatever, and then it steers you into another direction. So just, you know, you got there, you deserve it, and take pride in that.

Honestly, I think supply and demand, you know, with everything that's going on in the world right now. It's hard to find some stuff, get good pricing. I mean, when we had the tariffs, like, a year ago, that was hard to navigate. I think it's just like a lot of unexpected things happen. Sometimes you're the only person - sometimes this is the first time that you're seeing this problem, and you're the one that has to solve it. So, you know, it's like you're learning something new every day.

I think integrity, you know, doing what you believe is fair, and working hard. My dad always taught me to work hard, and if you work hard and do a good job and find something stable, you'll be successful. I think those are what's kept me successful this long.