Julisia Jackson

I attribute my success to growing up without a lot of support. My mom left when I was a kid and I suffered abuse from my dad. I learned there is no safety net, so I put it on myself to work hard and be the support that others can depend on, especially my kids and family, because I know what it's like not to have it.

The best advice I ever received is to take it one step at a time. My old manager described it like being on a dark path with a flashlight pointed at your feet - shine the light on your feet and take one step at a time. Don't get overwhelmed or look at the mountain far ahead because the light doesn't reach that far.

Learn as much as you possibly can about the industry you're going into. Go deep on the subject that you're interested in, whether it's finance, commercial real estate, or mergers and acquisitions. Then learn how AI can make you better, faster, and more agile because that's the future. AI is not going to take your job - somebody who knows how to use AI is going to take your job.

The biggest challenge is leveraging AI to have fundamental impact and seeing ROI because it's expensive to run and have, and it's hard to define roles and extract potential at scale without proper data readiness - it's like keeping up with the Joneses on steroids. The opportunity is that LLMs and AI have given voice to the voiceless, creating a golden age for genuine innovation where people with ideas can clarify them, write code, and bring them to life without being gatekept.

Honesty and integrity are number one above anything else. If you can't trust the people you're working with or in your circle, you don't really have anything because when there's pressure you're going to crumble. Teamwork is also key because from my 7 years as a CNA in ICU at Texas Health Plano, including during COVID while pregnant, I learned you have to show up and do your job or more bad stuff happens - you can't stop just because you're afraid.