Her Story
About Sandra
My career path was unusual because it wasn't something I chose – it was a career I married into. I give all thanks to my husband, who was a maintenance man for a small company in Omaha. When I married him, they hired me as well, and I learned to be a residential manager. I moved up through the company, eventually working in the office, knowing leases, dealing with attorneys and vendors – which opened my eyes to becoming a property manager.
I navigated this complex field for 22 years despite being dyslexic. It was mentally draining: translating what people said to me, making sure I understood correctly, handling letters with specific dates, and following laws. After leaving property management at the top of my career, I've been independent for 6 or 7 years, initially driving for Uber to give myself the freedom and flexibility to explore what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
Now I'm the founder of UnSquirrel. The idea came from an argument with AI – I wanted it to do something to help me, and it couldn’t. That led me to discover how few technologies exist for neurodivergent people. Most do only one thing. I created something that can handle everything a dyslexic needs – at work, at home, and in school – to help them balance all three.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sandra
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mother. I watched her come to the United States from Panama City, Panama, on a Lifetime Visa as a young teen – raising four children, going through a divorce, and continuing to expand her education. She earned a master's degree in microbiology. In 2021, she was named a Nebraska legislator for her philanthropy. I've watched her help people my entire life, and she is the person I look up to the most. Sometimes I feel like I have to fill her shoes, but I know I'm not filling her shoes – I'm filling my own. In doing so, I'm actually expanding her dream.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and just do it. Believe in the process you're working on. The vision is there, and people will always see it. Stay humble. I thank God every day for giving me the brain I have. Even though it thinks differently at times, it has made me who I am – and who I am becoming.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn the business from the ground up – leases, laws, vendors, people. Don't hide your struggles; find tools that work for your brain. I spent 22 years in property management with undiagnosed dyslexia, and I learned that thinking differently is a superpower. Take the leap, trust your vision, stay humble, and thank God for the brain you have. You don't have to fill anyone else's shoes – fill your own.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that property management is full of complex paperwork, strict deadlines, and legal risks, and most software isn't designed for the people who struggle with reading fatigue or staying organized. The opportunity is to create tools that are simple, accessible, and reduce mental load – without forcing anyone to disclose how their brain works. That’s what I’m focused on.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Inclusion, dignity, and persistence. I believe everyone deserves tools that work for their brain – not against it. In work and life, I value staying humble, trusting the process, and thanking God for giving me a brain that thinks differently. That difference isn’t a weakness; it’s what allows me to see problems others miss and build solutions that help people.
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