Maguette Mbaye Albrecht

I got into HR because I believe in the business of helping people and being a resource for them. There have been instances in my own life where I needed help with HR and didn't really know who to talk to or how to make it easy, and that's what made me go towards HR - just being a good resource for others. Throughout my career, I've faced challenges with not feeling comfortable in certain spaces, trying not to feel so small in a room because looking different and feeling different has been a big barrier in my life. But as I'm getting older, I'm getting to be more comfortable with that. My dad has been such a great mentor in my life - he's a biomedical engineer for St. Vincent's Hospital, and he's helped me not only as a parent but also as someone to look up to career-wise. Seeing how well he's done for himself, how he never gives up and always goes after what he wants, no matter what he will stick through it and get it done - he's a hard worker and I've known him as that my whole life. I wanted to be featured to let other girls that look like me know that there is a seat for you at the table. You can do anything you put your mind into. Don't ever settle for less. If you believe in it, you can achieve it. It doesn't matter what you look like or who you are - if you believe in it, you can do it.