Iana Diaz

Honestly, a lot of it goes to my mom. She was a strong, independent woman, and she kind of built her career and her life herself. She raised me mostly on her own, and for her to be able to do all that, to still work and take care of me, and then when she was battling cancer, to still be doing all of those things all at once, I just think if she could do that, then I can do something like pursuing a new career, going to school, things like that. Working and going to school, for me, that's challenging. It's hard to manage both in terms of schedule and workload and whatnot. But I think about all the stuff that she did, and if she could do it, then so can I. She kind of serves as my motivation to keep going and to strive for improvement every single day. She knew I was always meant to do great things, and so I don't do it just for her, I do it for me too, but she is kind of what put me in the right direction to want to pursue bigger things, and always just strive for growth and to be better every day.

The best advice I've received is to not take things personally. I think it's very easy to get emotional in the field when you're facing a challenging person, or a challenging job, or you feel like you're being asked to do crazy things. The thing is, if you get caught up in the personal, it only does a disservice to yourself. I've definitely had those challenges myself, but I think once you can kind of tap out of that headspace, it makes things a lot easier and it even makes it a little more enjoyable as well. This advice applies to any profession or in personal life as well.

I would say to not be afraid of not knowing everything, and not being afraid to ask questions. Before stepping into this field, I definitely was always afraid to ask the wrong thing, or I didn't want people to think I didn't know what I was doing. But you actually get a better response from people and a lot more respect, I've learned, when you do ask questions. I know being a young female, especially in this kind of trade, it can be very daunting because it is a male-dominated field. You know, 95% of the people I work with here are men, and it was something I struggled with in the beginning that I was very scared. But I quickly learned that when you ask questions, they actually appreciate it. So just not to be afraid to ask questions, and don't be afraid to admit that you don't know everything.

In terms of opportunities, there are definitely organizations that you could join that give you insight into the theme park industry. The Themed Entertainment Association, I believe it's called TEA, is a cool organization. They have expos and stuff like that, and I know a lot of people that I work with participate in those expos. In terms of challenges, I'd say specifically for women, it's very easy to be daunted working in such a male-dominated field. There's going to be a lot of personalities in general when you work in the trades. So definitely not getting discouraged by that. I definitely faced my challenges with that when I first came in. I remember months in, I wanted to quit. I didn't think I was going to be able to endure it, but I'm glad I stuck it out. It took some time, and then you just build the rapport and the respect with the team that you work with, and then it eventually works out. It's just kind of like a break-in period that you just kind of have to push through.

Accountability is something I always like to bring up. I think it's something that a lot of people struggle with, whether good or bad. It doesn't always have to be negative, but in life and in our professional careers, I'm always willing to own up to a mistake that I made, or even if it's something great that happened, if the credit isn't being given to the person who I would attribute the success to, I want to make an effort to make sure that the right person is recognized. That's definitely something I hold in high regard for myself and for others as well. In terms of my goals for the future, I think it would be fun and challenging in the best way to be able to expand into different trades. Right now, I specifically work with the electrical side. I do dabble in some plumbing and HVAC here and there, but I'd like to be more in the weeds with those trades and kind of see projects holistically in that sense. Outside of work, I'm very musically inclined. I love singing, I've been in bands in the past, I've done shows, I play the guitar, and I started learning to play the drums. I enjoy horseback riding, I enjoy hiking, I enjoy being in nature. Those are my relaxation activities. Sometimes I like just being at home. I have two dogs, a corgi and a husky. I love animals, so I love spending time with them as well.