Interview

(Since I am out of the country don’t have access to a classmate, I will interview my sister who is also a CUNY student)

1. Hi Nicole, can you share with me what’s your background and how growing up was for you?

She was born in the Dominican Republic, daughter of two hard-working individuals who tried their hardest to give her the best education they could pay for. Her family was very big and united, they always went to their grandparent’s house to hang out together, they’d go to the beach and spend the nights stargazing by the sea whenever possible, so overall, her childhood was a good one because “I had everything that one could ever ask for which is a present family that gets along well, good friends and health.”

• It sounds like you had a unique dynamic with your family, can you share a specific lesson from when you were growing up that helped or in some way shaped you into the person you are today.

She says the time her grandfather died because it taught her the importance of staying together through rough times. When he died, they became a little bit separated from each other and it took a mental toll on them. So, when they started hanging out again realized how important people can be to mental health as we are humans that need interaction to stay sane.

• Now that you are in college and very advanced into it, are there any achievements that stand out to you? Can you explain how they contribute to your growth as a person or a professional?

She says that one that stands out to her is when she worked at a Fortune 200 company last summer. It was such a special opportunity for her because as an immigrant people think you’re here to work as a cleaning lady, basically you’re “not allowed to dream big”. But this felt like a big slap in the face to those who tell you can’t do something whether it’s because of language reasons or education or experience, there’s always something big waiting for you out there.

• Now that you have a big company name in your resume, what are your long-term goals and how do you see them intersecting with your passions.

She has always been interested in business and how people can take small companies and can turn them around and make big, successful companies out of them. So, she hopes to be able to learn from some of the best businesspeople in the world, which some are in New York to extract what it takes to transform a business, and hopefully start one of her own in around 5 years.

• Since you want to have your own business in the future, I can imagine there are many risks and challenges coming your way. Can you share with me an example of a significant challenge that you overcame and what it taught you about yourself?

She says emigrating out of her home country was a huge challenge for her as she had one side of her family there, all her friends, everything that she had ever known had been there and being challenged to abandon everything and start all over again in a new country took a toll on her. However, she learned that you’re not really “abandoning” anything, you’re just expanding all that you already have, because she still has her friends from the Dominican Republic AND her friends in New York. So, it’s more than double now!

• Looking at the future ahead, what will be the next chapters in your career?

She is looking forward to graduating soon in June 2024 and to start working alongside some of the best professionals in New York in August. She is also looking forward to going back to her home country to see how everything is and be able to enjoy the beach again!