Her Story
About Ksenia
Jaime Balderrama is a project and administrative professional with experience in general contracting, scheduling, and office operations. She currently serves as Administrative Manager and Project Coordinator at Mark Scott Construction in Phoenix, AZ, where she supports project coordination and oversees administrative functions after being promoted within six months of joining in 2021. Previously, she worked in project and scheduling coordination at another general contracting firm, managing workflows and timelines in the construction industry. Earlier, she spent time as assistant manager at her parents' pediatric practice in Phoenix, building a foundation in administrative support and client-facing operations. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in marketing at the University of Phoenix, with prior studies at ASU. Balderrama attributes her success to her personality, willingness to get things done quickly, and strong emphasis on communication. She advises young women entering the field to be unapologetically themselves and make room for themselves in male-dominated environments.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ksenia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my personality and my willingness to get things done. I try to be as quick as possible with anything that I do, and I am very communicative when there is an issue. I am very big on communication and trying to make everything work more flawlessly.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My sister asked me, can you see yourself making this your career? She meant: Do you see yourself coming back to that job in 10 years? Do you see yourself progressing in that job in 5 to 10 years? Where does that look like? What do you want to be? What do you want to do? If you can say yes, then absolutely go for it. Go nuts, and do your absolute best every single day to make those dreams come true.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's gonna be scary... It is intimidating to be surrounded by so many men in that field... But what honestly helps me every single day is just the fact that all of these people have a wife, have a girlfriend, have a boyfriend. They understand that we don't think alike. And as long as you are A-OK with making yourself look a little weird and sometimes a little dumb, or just being completely yourself, that's exactly what the men are doing. Why do you have to change yourself if the men aren't changing themselves? Nobody is going to make room for you if you don't make room for yourself. So, as long as you're doing that, make a name for yourself, make room for yourself, and be unapologetically yourself.
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