Her Story
About Mariam
I have always been in leading jobs, even before coming to America. When I was back home in my country, I led a big group of women and worked a lot for women's rights. I was a member of the committee that was working for women's rights in the universities in Afghanistan, and I was pretty active there. I started these activities since my high school, so I was around 15 or 16 when I started it. I always tell people that leaders can be curated, but they should have this ability from the beginning. I kind of find out that while jobs can give you these leadership skills, like getting to management and other jobs, it is something that you can build in your life, even in your personal life - in the school, in the jobs, and everywhere. I have led people all the time, anywhere, and whenever I get to a job, it just takes me a few months to get to leadership. Before my current role, I worked as a manager in a restaurant. I came from Afghanistan to America in 2020, and it's been like 6 years for me here, but I have achieved a lot. I'm going to school and almost done with my associate degree in computer science. I started my current position as Engineering Department Manager at Mangioni Enterprises at Turf Valley in August 2024. I was hired as an assistant for the department, but it took me 6 months to become the manager. I manage a team of 12 people across the property, and we are mainly working on managing and maintaining the properties under management at Turf Valley. My job is to create tasks for my employees, show them what they have to do, help them with purchasing orders, and give reports to the county for the inspections that we are due every year.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mariam
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have always given priority to my responsibilities. I have been recognized by my job and other people around me in my college, and I'm proud of being a hard-working woman who never stops and who never fears the hardship of life. I have been through really hard times as an immigrant - I had a really hard time learning language, cultures, becoming familiar with people here, but I have always been proud of every single mistake that I have done in my life, because it builds me, it shaped me. I wouldn't be who I am today without those experiences. I also have one person who really helped me a lot in United States, somebody that helped me without any expectation - he helped me with my education, he helped me with my job. When he saw me working as a manager in the restaurant, he told me I didn't deserve to be there. He's a best friend of mine, and he's one of the reasons for my success nowadays, because even if I decide to give up, he will not let me give up.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When I was working as a manager in the restaurant, my best friend and mentor told me, 'You don't deserve to be here.' That advice really helped me realize I was capable of more and pushed me to pursue better opportunities. He saw my potential and wouldn't let me settle for less than what I was capable of achieving.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I want them to focus more on building their self than focusing on money and having fun too much around, because you can make money with two jobs when you have the energy of being able to have 2 or 3 jobs. But what happens after 5 years? You're getting to the point where the only thing that can help you is your knowledge. As a woman who is coming from a country where women are no longer able to go to school, because there is not any school for them allowed, I know the benefits and the value of education. I never accept or believe anybody that says education is not good, and we can have a better life without education. Education is not just about being in college or university, that's also true. It is overall knowledge of humanity, knowledge of geography, knowledge of technology, and everything around us. It's important for us to work to build ourselves and use our mind so we can build and have a good common sense.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important thing to me is being able to help others. No matter what field I am in, where I am, or how I am, I will always do my best to be an asset in the community, somebody that others can benefit from. My best happiness and the biggest moment of my life is when I see the people that are working for me, or they are in my team, or with me - when they are happy, and I can help them in any way, no matter if it's their right, if it's a job challenge, if it's a work study or assignment. If I can bring happiness in somebody's face, if I can finish a problem in somebody's life and make it easy for them, that's the best thing in my life. I kind of always find happiness more in other people's happiness than in other stuff. I have always given priority to my responsibilities, and I'm proud of being a hard-working woman who never stops and who never fears the hardship of life.
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