Sara Castillo

I think that just having, like, a great support system, like, my husband has been monumental to myself, but also being resilient, so taking on, taking in the punches, but still kind of coming back, you know, it was very difficult to work full-time, go to school full-time which I had to do for 4 years. And then also, kind of taking the time to learn the industry, so I think just having, just kind of keep coming back to, and being curious, I guess. It's what's made me successful.

Honestly, the best advice I have been given is probably from someone who I met when I wasn't sure about school. I was kind of on the fence. I was like, I don't really probably need this, you know? I was, like, 18, 19 years old, and it was this random stranger I was just having a conversation with. He kind of just looked at me in the eyes, and he says that education is extremely important, and knowledge is power. And the more knowledge you have, the more successful you are going to be, whether you go to school or you don't, but he was kind of alluding to going to school. Yeah, so he kind of told me, you know, you need to go back to school, you need to do what you have to do, so that kind of, like, really stuck with me as him being a stranger.

I'm considering myself, well, I am neurodivergent, so it's been, like, very, very difficult for me to kind of be at the level of people who are neurotypical. So, just honestly pushing through and just doing everything you can to, you know, know that you are going to be different, know that you're going to be, you know, weird, it's okay, it's okay. Like, you are going to be able to make it no matter what, just as long as you try and you put everything you can in it. Just because we're not at the level, or because you behave the way that other people behave, it's okay. You can be you and still be successful, basically. That's what I will say, because that's what I wish was told to me, you know, because I never felt like I was at the level of others, but at the end of the day, I persevered, I got my degree. There are many people in my industry who are neurotypical, who are not even able to find a job, and I'm still here, you know, thriving.

I guess, like, one that's both a challenge and an opportunity is artificial intelligence. It's a challenge one because it is being used a lot for designs, and they're not transferring well, so a lot of people don't, they're not liking what's coming out of the AI, they're not kind of having that human connection that if a designer were to design it, they will have. So that's like a challenge. It's like navigating with the AI, especially working for a company that, yes, they do love tech, and they're very curious all the time, but they're trying to integrate a lot of it, and it's just a very new technology. So we're trying, our challenge is just navigating how we can best get the best outputs out of it. But it's also, like, a great opportunity as well, because we don't know, like, where this is going to lead, so how smart it is going to get. So, we're at, like, that cusp of, okay, we don't know, you know, what's about to happen, but it's a great opportunity for people who know how to use it, and they use it well.

In my work, it's diversity and acceptance. It's, like, my one of my top things, continuing to learn and staying curious. So, like, working for companies that are constantly improving themselves, whether that is with technology or with other policies. And I think just communication is important, and I will say that across work, and also across, like, my personal life as well. Overall, just being accepted, no matter, like, who you are, what your background, or where you come from, it's, like, my top right now. And then, having good communication, and then also, constantly improving myself. Like, for example, my husband's now going to school later on in life, and I respect that a lot about him. And then, you know, we're trying, we're trying to, like, diet, and we're trying, you know, constantly trying to be better. I think that that's extremely important.