Ruby Enriquez

I attribute my success to my resilience as a single mother. Making sure I am that role model for my three kids - two boys and one girl - and making sure that I can inspire them to follow their goals and dreams. I want them to know that if mom was able to do it at a very young age with a less fortunate upbringing, then they can too, because I've made sure they now have a much better lifestyle and upbringing. For my boys, I want them to hold themselves to that standard - if I can do it as a woman, they can do it as men. For my daughter, I want her to know she can do whatever she puts her mind to and not be afraid to step into whatever industry and field it is, no matter whose field she thinks it belongs to. I think what helped me all along is that I didn't look at it on a sexist point of view, thinking it's all men so it's going to be difficult. I just saw it as business, that's it. I didn't give myself excuses - I just handled it like I handled my first business and built it the same way.

The best career advice I ever received was to keep going no matter what people tell you, because someone else's experience isn't going to be your own. I was told that, and every time I would hear something about the nursing industry, it reminded me of it. A lot of people would say nursing was amazing and I'd love it, but that definitely wasn't how I felt or the experience I got. Now when I hear people going to school for nursing, I have to bite my tongue from telling them to think twice, because I have to remind myself that the experience I had is not going to be theirs. I do tell them there's some goods and bads, and I ask them if they're in it for the money or because it's their passion. I share my experience and why I'm out, but I let each person take their journey and carry their own experience.

Keep going. No matter what comes at you, keep going. Prove yourself - you're not needing to prove others, prove it to yourself. Because we might make the mistake of needing to prove others, but we owe it to ourselves. We are capable, and you are capable, so just keep going. Don't let the field of men make you feel small. It's okay. You got this. Don't be afraid to step into whatever industry and field it is, no matter whose field you think it belongs to. I went into it not paying attention or recognizing that it's a field full of men. I went in thinking, just business. It's another business. It doesn't matter what the industry's about, it's another business. Handle it like I handled my first business and build it like you built yours. I think that's what helped me all along - I didn't look at it on a sexist point of view and give myself excuses. I just saw it as business, that's it.

The biggest challenge is being a young woman in a field of men. Sometimes I'm looked at as the less experienced one. That has been the biggest challenge that to this day I believe we still hold as women in male-dominated industries - that we are looked at with less experience. But the biggest opportunity we have as women, regardless of the situation or industry but particularly in this one, is that there's a portion of work that is just for us women. There's an option of opportunity for women only in the government field. They have a percentage of work that is for women, that is for minorities, that is for particularly what it is that we do, and it's opened different avenues for me. Seeing how things are right now, that's opened different doors.

Professionalism is my number one value, 100%. No matter what I go through, I have had to hold my ground in professionalism. I have dealt with quite a lot being a woman, a young woman, and a young Hispanic woman in an industry full of men. You kind of have to bite your tongue a bit and keep that professionalism headfirst. That's what I stand by, that's what I have to have represent me. I allow self to stand before anybody else with self-respect and professionalism, because that way I know no one can speak down on my name. If I know I can hold myself accountable with that degree of value within myself, then there's nothing ill that someone else can speak of me that I can say is true, because I know I kept it real and I know I kept it professional. I hold myself to that utmost value with my professionalism.