Yesika pena

I attribute my success to the opportunity that coming to America gave me and the drive I've always had to get ahead, even from a very young age. Growing up in Colombia with 10 people in the house, not always having every meal on the table, I developed this passion early on to learn, create, and find ways to support myself and help my family. Whether it was charging friends for Play-Doh lessons at age 6, learning to thread bracelets from a street artisan, or selling pixie sticks at school, I've always had this entrepreneurial spirit and determination to take every opportunity by storm. The family that raised me in Colombia, my aunts, uncles, and grandmother who took care of me while my mom worked in a different city to provide for us, they really shaped who I am. Now I'm able to send them money to help take care of them, which was always my goal. I also credit my success to never settling, always being willing to learn new things, and surrounding myself with the right people who can teach me and help me grow, even if the pay isn't great initially. It's about the experience you can take away and use to your benefit later.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. That's something I've learned throughout my career that has really made a difference. I also learned early on, even at age 6 with my Play-Doh business, to never reveal all your trade secrets at once. If you're going to get into sales or business one day, you don't want to give away everything all at once. You have to space it out strategically. My business went down after 4 or 5 classes because I gave out all my secrets too fast, versus spacing it out and getting more income in the long run. That was my first business lesson, and it stuck with me.

For young women entering interior design and architecture, I would say realize how many more career paths there could be stemming from that field. You can branch out from interior design into architecture, or into anything that is designed to fulfill your passion. The most important thing is to never settle. Never settle. Go to a place that works for a place that makes you happy, that fills your cup. At the end of the day, if you love where you're at and you love what you do, you're going to do that much better of a job because you love it and you feel good doing it. Also, don't get so caught up initially on the pay. Focus more on the experience that you can take from a position. Real life experience is much more valuable than what you learn in school. You pay to go to school and they teach you stuff, but if somebody's going to pay you to learn, even if it's a little bit, you want to be involved with the right kind of people, making those connections. The experience and network you gain is worth more than a higher starting salary, because you can then use that to your own benefit to go somewhere else with much more experience than other people have.

The most important value to me is helping others and giving back. What I love to do is help people, and if money was no obligation and nothing was in the way, I would do crowdfunding for people to help them on a larger scale. That's really my life's passion. I've always taught my daughter the importance of volunteering and helping people in need, whether it's delivering Thanksgiving meals, supporting veterans, or coaching youth basketball. I want her to see what it means to give back. My dream is to one day be able to bless people with money and help their families with whatever they need, like I've seen people do online, but without my face being shown. I don't want people to know who's behind the act. I just want to help them and have people see the good, so they could then maybe be inspired to help others. Another core value is never settling and always striving to get ahead, not just for myself but so I can help my family in Colombia who shaped who I am. They took care of me, and now I'm able to send them money to take care of them, which has always been my goal.