Martha Tejeda

I attribute my success to how hard I have worked, especially as an international student. I've been an international student since I was young because I'm from Juarez but went to school in El Paso, and being away from home has not been easy at all. I was here when COVID happened and I couldn't go back home, I had to stay, I had to work, I had to do a lot of things just to survive. Every time there's a hardship, I'm always working, I'm always trying to find solutions. My friends always tell me I never take no for an answer and I'm always looking for solutions for anything, whether good or bad. I don't let the world get on me. I'm really good about being independent, and that comes from being an international student, being on your own, not having your family with you. I've traveled alone, I've gone to concerts by myself, and I've turned being lonely or being by myself into something positive. I'm content with myself and happy and comfortable with being independent, and that has given me the strength to be okay with being alone. I also take pride in my hardships and I'm open about the struggles I go through because being open about your stories starts conversations and you can help other people along the way. I don't think I would be the person that I am today if it wasn't for all the things that I went through.

The best career advice I ever received is to always be true to yourself. I'm Latina, I'm Mexican, and I'm really proud of my roots, and I have never had to shrink myself to fit into spaces. People know that I'm really vocal. Whenever we have meetings or something, I'm always saying something, and it doesn't come from a place of wanting attention, it's because I'm trying to help everyone or be a voice for everyone. It comes from being true to yourself. When someone says something that I don't agree with or we have disagreements within the department, you have to voice your opinion one way or another. I talk a lot, I'm really bubbly, and I'm a yapper, and I take pride in that because it's about being bold about the things that you care about. It all comes from being true to who I am, who I've been, and not having to shrink myself. I tell my niece, who is navigating being a middle schooler, be true to yourself, it's okay if people don't like you, not everyone has to like you. Not everyone is going to like me, not everyone is going to agree with the things that I care about, and that's okay. You have to be you.

I think the main thing, especially for me as a Latina and for any women of any background, is to always be true to yourself and don't shrink yourself to fit into spaces. People are going to like you for who you are, and people see those positive things when it comes to your skills and the way you work. It also shows who you are as a person. Don't try to fit into a box of what people want you to be. It's okay to follow advice and let yourself be guided and taught, but as long as you keep your core, as long as you keep yourself as your core, your values, everything that you stand for, that's the most positive thing we can do as women. In every industry, there's always women being belittled, so we have to keep taking those spaces. We have made a lot of progress in a lot of things, which is amazing, but we have to keep pushing and opening doors for everyone else. It's really inspiring to see a lot of women speaking up for a lot of the things that are happening in the world, and that really shows who we are as women. We're strong, and people want to frame women as emotional or that we cry, but those are things that are valuable because those are things that we're using to better the world and the people around us.