Derica Escamilla

For me, honestly, it's just being respected in the industry. I would have never really known my market worth because I didn't grow up in my career with a marketing team that submits for you to get the awards and the accolades, so I've never been professionally recognized, but I've also never been about that. For me, it's just really knowing that something that I poured my heart and soul to other than my family has been there to support and elevate me throughout each of my career moves, and not only that, in my civic job that I wear. The industry's very supportive and proud of what I represent on that side too. And then winning an election, getting the highest number of votes of all the candidates running, including mayor, that needed to tell me that I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I'm doing what the people expected me to do.

Give yourself grace and don't be so scared to ask for help. So many cultures, and even women, were raised in a lot of patriarchal, misogynistic society, and also some of us are stubborn or have personalities on top of it all. Some of us are caregivers, the oldest kid, and it's really so hard for a lot of us to ask for help. I wish I had asked for help sooner. Those are the two things I would tell my younger self: give myself grace and don't be afraid to ask for help. I also didn't have a role model growing up. I was a first-generation high school graduate, college graduate, so I didn't have anyone at home guiding me in my profession, and then you get into your profession and I'm in a male-dominated industry where I'm coming out of college and everyone is older than me. I really had to learn the hard way, and that's why giving back and mentoring and women in construction and women in environment and coaching the kids is so important to me, because I didn't have that.

Mentoring and showing up are the most important things to me. Even if it's in the smallest way, like volunteering to clean up a park or helping a coach, it really does take a village. There's so many kids out there that lack the feeling of belonging or feeling like someone cares, and it's not because their parents don't care, it's because they're out there trying to make a living so that they can provide a roof for their children. For me, it's mentorship and volunteering, giving back in that way for our future. That's what fulfills me. I focus on things that have to do with the youth and anything that matters of the heart. Giving back and mentoring and women in construction and women in environment and coaching the kids is so important to me because I didn't have that.