Her Story
About Samantha
Samantha Ochoa serves as a recruitment and administration professional at Soleil Construction Partners, a shell construction company providing HR support to multiple family-owned or invested entities across Florida. In her current role of approximately one year and seven months, she assists field superintendents, regional managers, and area managers with recruiting construction workers, supplying safety gear and uniforms, and fulfilling general administrative duties for the HR team. Before transitioning to construction, Samantha worked as a case manager in Wisconsin and Florida, supervising teams serving marginalized, frail elder, mental health, and substance abuse populations. She also held the position of administrative manager at a funeral home for two years. A proud El Verno College alumna, she earned her sociology degree in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2014 with honors, becoming the first college graduate in her family after changing her major three times and switching schools twice. Her sociology background and commitment to social justice shape her people-oriented approach in HR and recruiting. Samantha attributes her professional achievements to the unwavering support of her mother and husband, her inner confidence, and the resilience gained from uprooting her life from Wisconsin to Florida six years ago.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
My upbringing with a supportive mom who taught me to face scary things head-on, my husband's support, and inner confidence in believing in myself. I changed my major three times, switched schools twice, and uprooted my life from Wisconsin to Florida six years ago, but kept plugging away.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My grandma always pushed me to go further and said no matter what you do, just do it with kindness. She passed the week before I graduated college, and that advice stuck with me to always interact with kindness regardless of how others act.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't take no for an answer. If it doesn't work out the first time, that's just the beginning. Rejection is not the end-all, be-all. Keep working at it, add that experience, and eventually you'll build up to your confident self and get your yes.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is finding people who want to go into the trades as many aim for tech instead. There's opportunity in technology and instant communication like LinkedIn to reach more people, use AI for recruiting, and connect through platforms to get information out there.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I really value hard work, putting my best self forward every day. Integrity is key - being the same person whether talking to a coworker, director, or stranger. Humility is big too; if I make a mistake, I own up to it regardless of repercussions.
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