Sabrina Tavares

For me, success is being able to do what I love, and I'm finally in a place in my career where I know that what I'm doing is what I love to do. Early on, I struggled in finding my way - I knew I was passionate about certain things, but I didn't know exactly what direction I was heading or what steps I needed to take to get there. As a first-generation Latina, I didn't really have much direction or resources early in life to help me get there, so I kind of had to figure it out on my own. Success for me now is being able to help those who are in those same situations - being able to provide that guidance and some sense of direction to someone who might need it, because I remember being in that situation and not knowing what opportunities were available or what exactly I wanted, just because I didn't have that direction at one point in life. So that's success for me - it's beyond the professional, it's more being able to help the next generation really find their ground and find direction, and just reassure whoever I'm working with that things do get easier, you eventually do figure out what you want to do in life. It's just really being able to stay true to yourself and doing the right things along the way that helps you get there.

The best career advice I received is that there's no such thing as a loss - in life and in your career, you either win or you learn. Every opportunity that you get in life, sometimes things don't really go the way you want them to, but they're really preparing you for something greater, you just don't know it yet. I remember someone telling me that early on in my career - you never lose, you either win or you learn, and from that learning opportunity, it will bring you another opportunity to develop and grow, and you're winning. It's always going to be a win. Looking at life and work and my career in that way really changed my perspective, because I used to be very hard on myself. When I changed into more of a growth mindset and really looking at everything in its entirety as an opportunity to develop and learn, it really shifted my mindset, my perspective, and the way I took things in internally. It really helped me develop and be open to trying on new things and getting to this point where I am now in my career. Everything in life is never a loss - you either win or you learn, so next time around there's always something greater that you're preparing for, that you just don't know yet.

I would say be patient, and learn as much as you can from everyone. Always keep an open mind, because in communications, you have to be open, and you have to be able to take on different perspectives and wear many hats. If you walk into your role thinking you know everything, or thinking that every day is the same, you're never going to be able to propel forward, or progress, or do things differently, or do things better. You're going to learn something new every day, so just be open to it, and learn how to adapt along the way.

The biggest challenge I faced was when I made the transition into communications from a frontline type of role - it was very non-traditional. Many of the individuals I was working with were already in this industry, had been part of it for a very long time, or they went to school for what they were doing. For me, it was different - I made that transition because I knew this is what I wanted, and I went for it. Most of the skills I had were transferable skills, not skills where I could say I have X amount of years of experience doing XYZ. The challenge was being able to show others that I was capable, that I was competent, that even though my career path wasn't the traditional career path of a corporate communications consultant, I still had the experience and the passion and the potential to be what they were looking for. The biggest challenge was really being able to show that I was capable and confident because I didn't really meet the job description as the usual person that would qualify for that job - I came from a different background and type of role, so everything was new to me. Now that I'm established with many years in, I've been able to make a name for myself. One of the greatest opportunities in communications is the ability to collaborate with different business partners from across the organization. I love that I get to work with so many different people from so many different parts of an organization that brings so many different perspectives to the work. It makes me so much more of a well-rounded professional. Being able to understand better the organizations I'm a part of, and find work and purpose in what I do through the lens of others and through those diverse perspectives, has probably been one of the things I enjoy most about what I do.

Integrity and authenticity are key to me in everything, whether it's professionally or personally. Just being an authentic person and having integrity - always doing the right thing, no matter whether anybody is watching - and always staying true to yourself, I think is critical. Especially in the work that I do, when it comes to authenticity, you can get easily caught into this cycle of forgetting or putting on the back burner who you really are to try to fit into this mold, or into this persona of who you think you should be based on the norm, or based on what everybody else is doing, or the way everybody else speaks or works. But just really staying true to you - for me, it's been very crucial to really stay true to who I am, and remind myself where I came from, how hard I worked to get to where I am, so I can then continue to help others who are also looking to develop and advance in their careers to do the same. I also think you have to put in the work. Sometimes success can be perceived as something that should be immediate - if you work hard for a while, you should see results right away. But sometimes you don't see the fruits of your labor until years later. You just have to be patient and work hard, knowing that eventually things will line up, if you're doing all the right things.