Rose Betty David

I attribute my success to my consistency and my willingness to keep moving forward, even when things are difficult. I know that giving up is not a choice - it's simply not an option. We still have to keep moving, whether it's easy or not. That determination and refusal to quit, no matter what challenges I face, is what has driven me to where I am today.

One of the best pieces of career advice I've received is: if you have something in mind, start it now. Don't wait. Don't take time. Because you never know how you're going to use what you start to help others. I believe in service, so I'm always finding a way to help others. Another important piece of advice I received is that sometimes, yes, we need money to pay our bills and do other things, but sometimes we have to start helping others even if we don't see where the money is coming. The result of the way that we help others is one of the things that is going to grant us satisfaction.

My advice to young women entering the finance industry is to be ready to learn and be coachable. Be ready to share what you learn with others, because knowledge, when you don't share it, it's like you're losing it. Being open to learning, accepting coaching, and then passing that knowledge on to help others is essential for success in this field.

The biggest challenges I face in my field are the language barrier and navigating life as an immigrant. Even though I serve the Haitian community and speak Creole, taking classes in English was challenging for me, and even when I have to teach or do coaching, it's still challenging. I'm working on it, and it won't stop me, but it is a real challenge. As an immigrant, the current political situation doesn't always help immigrants, so that's another challenge. You always have to figure out paperwork, fix documents, and find out what the news is and whether something concerns you. On the opportunity side, the company I work with gives you the opportunity to grow - it takes work, but you can grow and help others. Because I speak many languages, it's easier for me to communicate with people from other countries. Another great opportunity is that we have training from people who have been doing this work for 15, 20, or 30 years, and they are always willing to share what they learned during the process. That makes it easier for us because we don't have to face the same struggles they did.

The values most important to me are respect, honesty and truth, and always finding ways to help others and give back. I believe in always doing what can help others and finding ways to give back whenever I can, because sometimes we benefit from the community or society in ways we don't imagine, so we have to always figure out a way to give back. Another core value is to do what you have to do, even if nobody is watching you. These principles guide both my work and personal life.