Her Story
About Raquel
Raquel Herriott is a marketing and communications professional with over 10 years of experience in higher education. She began her career at the SDSU Police Department, where she focused on crisis response communications and making complex topics accessible to students. She later worked at Family Health Centers of San Diego, applying her skills to support medically underserved communities during the pandemic. She currently serves in a student-facing role at a nonprofit auxiliary to San Diego State University, supporting student programming and organizational goals with a team of 11 staff members. Her main area of expertise is marketing and communications. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University. She is a member of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce LEAD Advanced Program for Women and is passionate about supporting youth through volunteering.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Raquel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I am a product of so many strong women in my family who were quite resilient. I am a Black woman, and so my mom, my aunts, they were just such pioneers when it came to education and really carving out their own path, and I thought that was so admirable to see that growing up, and it made me realize what is possible for me. I never really counted myself out and thought of myself as lesser than, because I had so much proof already to begin with, with the people around me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received was not only through words, but through action and modeling from my chief of police. Remaining calm is a superpower, and it's not the mistake you make, it's how you respond to it. That provided a lot of psychological safety for me coming up in my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Everything is figureoutable. If you can figure out how to be resilient and have a growth mentality, then you will go so far with that. Once you get the hang of it, it gets easier, and it builds that confidence of, okay, if I can take this on and figure this out, I can go into the next challenge.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The ongoing use and the advancement of AI. There are some ideas about whether or how to leverage communications professionals when you have these tools now that are readily available that can create social media captions, or help summarize information. AI is something that can be used as a tool and a thought partner, but when it comes to storytelling and connecting with other people, it can't replace the human element.
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