Estefany Guecha

I attribute my success to all the people and organizations who have been part of my journey - my professors, my mentors, my family, my boyfriend. We are here because of a lot of people who were there even before we were born. I'm going to attribute that to organizations like Fulbright, who believed in me and saw what I wanted to do for others, so they supported me when I was really young and not so wise. It's thanks to them that I've been able to achieve what I have.

When you take care of your purpose, then your purpose will take care of you. I love this advice so much that I have it on a board right next door to me. It really means that if you put the work in for what your goal is, your goal is going to pay you back and reward you.

Advocate for yourself. We were taught in the past to manage a low profile, to not accommodate other people. I'm going to say share what you're doing, build your network, advocate for yourself, and ask for the things you want, because otherwise those doors are not going to open for you. You need to open them. Mainly as women, we need to learn how to advocate for ourselves.

One of the biggest challenges I feel exists in my field is the students who are dropping out of their education. I believe that's a huge, silent problem. We have a lot of students with huge debt, and they are not even finishing their education. If they're not getting their titles, then how are they going to be able to pay for their student loans and contribute to the country and the economy? The current challenge in my field is to build the strategies to make sure students are getting the support they need on time. We need to make sure that we are connecting the students early with the resources they need. The most critical year is the first year, especially when they are first-generation, low income, or have other reasons to graduate late or not graduate at all. The goal is to make sure they are getting the skills, the knowledge, and the connections to thrive in their careers, even after they graduate.

Coherence is most important to me - aligning your thoughts, your emotions, your words, and your actions with what you want to be or the best version of yourself. Do everything humanly possible to be coherent. Active listening is also really important, because as a coach, I need to listen and listen again to my students to help them better. Empathy is crucial, and beyond empathy, compassion, because usually we feel empathy for people who look like us, but for people who are different, you need to develop the skill to feel compassionate and have this level of empathy for the ones who do not look like you, and do the best to support them.