Tracey L. Olaez

I would say really finding your why. What is your goal in supporting all of the initiatives that may fall under your role, and how does that connect to you as a professional? What keeps you motivated to continue to give in the way that fills your bucket? What keeps me wanting to achieve more in my role is highlighting the importance of higher education from all types of walks of life. I will always advocate for higher ed, especially if you're a first-gen student. Just find your why in what makes you happy within your role. Not every day is a cheery day, but I think at the end of the day, if you can say that you accomplished your goal as a professional in executing your best ability, that helps you maintain your North Star. Take a moment to value the connections you've made and really strengthen the relationships that you make as you continue to grow your career, because you never know when that person can come back around and really help you either land your next job or another opportunity.

I'm rooted in community. I'm always looking to see where I can find the pockets of community. My work in alumni engagement focuses on building community for the alumni within UCF, but as a whole, I've always volunteered in various groups and served on various boards, and it's always about how do I find my community that supports the work that I do and that also fills my cup. Continuous learning is another value - anytime that I can grab new concepts or things that will help my field directly, or just personal learning opportunities, I'm always seeking out new ways to learn and just keep learning. The last value I hold pretty dearly is connections. I feel like most of my journey so far has been either directly enhanced or supported through a dear friend, a mentor, or just someone that has been an advocate or a champion in my corner that I didn't even know. The connections that you build around yourself, and those that you're not even aware of, have helped tremendously.