Growing up, I always thought I'd be an architect or an interior designer. I would design houses, create interior design drafts, sketch my dream home, and paint away my ideas. I even tried selling abstract paintings, and I had one customer who displayed my painting in his restaurant, which is one work I am proud of. As time went by, my interests started to shift, and I loved cooking, which made me think of taking up culinary. Still, I didn't do, so I went abroad after graduating in hotel and restaurant management to start a career that I thought was in line with my course. It was somehow similar, though I worked in a government hospital as an administrative assistant. I wanted to change jobs. However, that first job challenged me, and that taught me how to manage my time, be an organized person, and multitask. My boss was proud of me, and I received multiple certificates of appreciation, a plaque for participating in an event and hard work, and an award from the hospital director. I was like all in one! There's just a tiny problem. I miss my home country. So I went back to the Philippines and shifted lines of work. That's where I became a customer service representative for Amazon UK and Audible US. After a few months, I searched for a better opportunity for career growth. I landed a job as an account associate, phone support for all of the services of AT&T. I got promoted as an SME for the trainees, but the pandemic was unpredictable, so I had to let go of my job and be with family then. I got into freelancing and started my journey for a few months, and that's when I found the current company I am in, where I grew the most. There have been opportunities to learn new skills in leadership and how to be strategic, creative, and innovative. I am thankful I've become a part of this company, which taught me a lot.

I can see myself as a person who's focused and goal-oriented, so one thing I learned is that if you want to grow, find the right company that will allow you to grow and lay out opportunities for your road to having a successful career. Still, self-improvements and skill upgrades are ongoing, and I am not planning to stop upskilling. I don't want to be just better at my job, but I am also doing this for myself.