Rooted in Togetherness
People have changed my life. More specifically, the opportunities given to me by people have changed my life. Some inspired me, some challenged me, and some helped me grow. I think this grounded me in the importance of joining projects with a strong sense of community. It was a huge reason I ended up with Okay and New Normal Group. I didn't want to be just another employee. I wanted to be a valued piece of the puzzle.
When I was getting close to the end of high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study. But my brother had a friend in computer science who I highly respected and admired. I often thought, "if he can do it, I can do it”! So I used him as inspiration to experiment with my own computer. I started off installing different Linux programs to see how it could alter the device's function. This landed me in a university program, which pushed my beliefs on what programming had the power to achieve.
Although uncertain, I made a choice and stood by it. Self-doubt is inevitable, but the importance of sticking it out cannot be understated.
For a while, I was pretty unsure if I had made the right choice. I never felt sure if I had the knowledge and ability to solve the complex problems I learned in class. But one day, a friend from university offered me a job helping solve technical issues for a parcel business that delivered goods between Mexico and the USA. He recognized my perseverance when it came to seeking and providing optimal solutions. We ended up solving the parcel problems, and I knew right then and there that I was on the right path.
I have always been curious about life outside of Mexico. So when given the chance for a four-month internship in India, there was only one acceptable answer. Yes, it was a wild experience. But it also helped me define some of my core values. I realized I don't like corporate environments, I excel with backend programming and coding, and I love working with people from all over the world. I thought I had found this perfect combination with a research lab in France. But once there, the company couldn't back the work-life balance I needed to support my growing family. With a language barrier to top it off, I said adieu to France after one year. And by doing so, I came across Okay and knew I had found something special.
Honoring your values is what leads to life-long happiness. You may like a job, but if you can't find inner peace, it doesn't mean anything.
Okay understands the needs of a family-man. They know that to work hard, we must be given the freedom to play hard. My play is parenting, swimming, cooking and gardening. This fuels me to be the best version of myself at work, including my tenacity for tackling problems. In my eyes, my journey has been filled with many important people. So I do hope to be that person for someone else one day—a kind and supportive leader, building a space for people to grow, personally and professionally.
