Her Story
About Valencia
I'm currently finishing my senior year at NYU, where I study Business and Technology Management in the engineering school with a concentration in finance, plus double minors in computer science and mathematics. I chose this path very deliberately because my family comes from a very entrepreneurial background with big businesses and conglomerates, and I wanted to carry that forward. But I also took a computer science program in high school that I really enjoyed, and I didn't want to just be a software engineer. I wanted to be the one driving decisions in the tech space while having that technical background. I believe that having both business and technical skills is incredibly important, and there are very few people who can understand both sides and how these systems impact and work with each other. Being in the engineering school also meant earning a Bachelor of Science degree, which gives a lot more credibility, especially as a woman in STEM spaces. I wanted to break the norm and show that I can be in spaces where there are a lot of men. In high school, I was the only girl in my computer science class. I also wanted to surround myself with hardworking people in the engineering culture, because I needed to learn their language and how they think in order to make good management decisions about working businesses. My most valuable professional experience has been working as my honors program supervisor's undergraduate assistant, where I did cross-functional work, communicated with different stakeholders, and drove projects from front to end. I'm also part of the Tandon Honors program, which has enriched my experiences tremendously. They provide funding and encourage study abroad through their Global Accelerator program, where I learned data management, analysis, SQL, and earned various certifications. I've also obtained Bloomberg Market Concepts and Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals certifications, which I found online to supplement my financial market knowledge. I don't know exactly where I'll end up after graduating, whether in the financial industry or tech industry, but I know I have valuable skill sets that are cross-functional and interdisciplinary, allowing me to navigate well between different spaces.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Valencia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it's having the curiosity to learn and wanting to challenge yourself and improve yourself. In high school, I took really hard courses even though I knew I might not get a good grade, but I wanted to learn, and I feel like that's what school is for at the end of the day. Whatever it shows on paper, I'm paying the tuition fees and gaining the knowledge out of this class. At the end of the day, I learn, and that's what's most important to me personally. You have to keep trying to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. I also think trying to be adaptable is one of the things that kept me trying a lot of different kinds of things all the time. I love to try new things, which is why you see my hobbies are so dispersed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My father is a businessman, and he always told us that you have to build your network. That is the most important thing in business. You have to learn to navigate those relationships and networks you build and nurture them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid and have so much confidence in yourself. The more you practice, the more you'll realize that there is a space in this place for you. Sometimes, if you don't know what to do, just copy what the other people are doing. Surround yourself with people you are inspired by, because your friends will shape you. The people around you will shape you in a lot of ways. If they're hardworking, you're gonna be hardworking. If you're with people who don't really care or don't have self-confidence, you're gonna be like that too. If you surround yourself with people who are so confident and know they can do this, even if they fail it's okay and they just restart, that mindset is going to influence you heavily. So be around ambitious people. Also, you don't have to compare yourself to them constantly, because I genuinely think that there's a place for everybody and for their specific and unique skill sets.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My Christian faith and church community are core to my identity. I genuinely think the values are good and align with what I like. I think it's helpful and helps you navigate relationships and people. There's so much wisdom that it's just a core part of my identity. The community is so loving, welcoming, and warm, and people share what rough things they're going through together, so you really have a sense of community. You know that not everybody's life is perfect and everyone goes through rough challenges. Every season has its own challenges, and it's just a community to support each other. I also value being multifaceted. Being multifaceted is something that is underrated, and people are realizing you don't have to just be one thing. You can be all of these things together, and they can coexist. STEM and the arts can both exist together.
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