Her Story
About Samantha
Samantha Gonzalez serves as an account executive for the full-service on-premise team at Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, managing the South Texas market from San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley and overseeing contracts for independent school districts, Melrose fashion stores, government entities, and Santa's Wonderland. With 15 years in the food and beverage industry, she previously worked as a district sales manager and began her career with an internship at Walt Disney World, where she became a food and beverage trainer. Her educational achievements include a bachelor's degree in political science with a double minor in legal studies and English, a master's in behavior administration with a specialization in marketing completed in May 2026, and a business certificate from Seaman Industries. A notable professional achievement is creating a partnership agreement with SpaceX for Coca-Cola. She previously served as chairperson for the Hispanic tennis community with the United States Tennis Association and volunteers at the local food bank alongside her company. Gonzalez attributes her success to the perseverance instilled by her mother and the perspective and encouragement from her husband, and she emphasizes values of integrity, servant leadership, work ethic, and passion in her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my foundation from my mother, who was a single mother until I was [AGE] and taught me to keep moving, keep going, keep striving, keep having passion. Most recently, my husband gave me perspective and perseverance when he encouraged me to pursue my master's despite my fears, showing me I had all the support needed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Everybody around you learns differently and has their own timeline. So don't expect what you do to be the same as everybody else. You are your own person and you are your own light.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There are gonna be a lot of ups and downs, but the beauty of life is the continuous aspects of growth. Never be content and always strive to be better than who trained you and to be better than the next person because there's always room for growth. So never stop growing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's a constantly evolving economy and infrastructure that is sometimes out of our control, like laws, presidents, and cost of goods. If you don't have an adaptable mindset and time management, it can be really difficult in this fast-paced industry.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is really important because it gets you farther and leads to long-term pleasure. I also lead with a servant attitude as a servant leader. Work ethic and passion are big - if you put your mind to it and open your mind, the answer will be there, and you will evolve.
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