Her Story
About Sonia
Sonia Castillo is a Spanish teacher at a high school in South Texas, where she is in her 20th year teaching Spanish. She earned a double major in public relations through journalism and communications and Spanish, which enabled her transition from over a decade in corporate communications in Dallas to a full-time education career after becoming a mom. Castillo also supports youth programs through volunteering at a nonprofit thrift store associated with a Christian school, where she is known as a guardian angel, and participates in Seafair events such as the salsa contest and gumbo tent for the Chamber of Commerce to benefit community initiatives including choir, ROTC, and the Spanish club. She attributes her success to setting and achieving goals while adapting priorities, and she advises young women to turn their interests into careers. Castillo is also authoring a children's book that a publisher has picked up.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sonia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I don't have any children. Wanting them to see that you can get out there and do this and at one point your focus may change whether it's for yourself or for your own children. You may have some days that you find what you need to do as a priority. And it's not that I gave up anything. I was fortunate to meet a lot of my goals. I've made a lot of my goals I guess by the time I was [AGE] honestly. And so you know more than twice in my lifetime again. Still kind of changing rearranging making new goals and right now I have a children's book that a publisher picked up.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just yesterday one was excited to get an invitation to shadow at the National Weather Service Galveston and she was invited to apply for an internship at Southwest Airlines and so anytime I can advise my own children any since I'm teaching teenagers full-time I try to encourage them to take their interest and find what you can do as a career. Like how can you turn what you enjoy doing into a career? It's honestly the best advice I give them.
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