Mariana Acuna

I attribute my success not to resources or access, but to the discipline that comes from never having had enough of either. Building a national government relations function as a one-person department at a nonprofit taught me to prioritize ruthlessly, build relationships that do the work of a whole team, and make every ask count. It is a thread that runs through my entire career, from the front desk of a Senate office to the halls of Capitol Hill and K Street, a consistent pattern of choosing the harder, closer path and producing regardless of conditions. For me, doing more with less has never been a setback. It is simply how I learned to lead.

Life can change at any second, so let's be and make the most of it while we can.

I think the advice is always so simple, but we overcomplicate ourselves. No matter the role, your peace and your health should never be compromised. So wherever you go and how far you want to go, always just make sure that your physical and mental health are always leading. We're very ambitious, and we will go to the length of the Earth to achieve the task that we're given. Sometimes we really put ourselves in the back burner, and that's just not healthy. We just need to take care of ourselves, whether we want to be mothers, whether we don't, whether we still just want to feel good and accomplish - it all starts from within.

One of the biggest challenges is the educational piece - you often have to educate members of the legislative branch, whether state or federal, that what we're doing is contributing to the STEM workforce pipeline. Folks often see certain communities or communities of color just as people that want more attention for a handout, or that we're there not because of merit but because we are asking for additional resources. It takes time to not convince, but really demonstrate and highlight the community impact that the organization and those in this field from different communities contribute - whether it's Native American, the Black community, women, queer, Latinos, Asians - how each group contributes to the workforce and really the avenues that work best to attract and retain those folks in that community. The opportunities are that the industry sees our value, and so it's very encouraging because we get to pivot and address where the need is much faster than you would do with formal education. We have a little bit more autonomy on addressing academic and non-academic needs of students while also providing certifications and skill-building opportunities for professionals.

I love consistency at work. Although it may be the result of a lot of trial-and-error, we improve ourselves as professionals through consistency and discipline. Personally, I value a good sense of humor. Life's tough and sometimes we take ourselves too seriously.