My name is Sonia Guajardo and I’m a 46-year-old, Hispanic mother of 6 (grandmother of 2) who recently returned to college aer a 15-year hiatus. I have worked 10 years in the private sector specializing in customer service and medical billing. With the support of the City of San Antonio’s (COSA) Upgrade program and after 5 years in a rewarding position in the public sector, I have decided to pursue a public health professional degree. As the Executive Secretary in the Director’s Office at Metro Health, I’ve been closely involved in the COVID-19 response, public health accreditation, employee enhancement, and strategic planning. It’s been such an amazing experience to witness how the many organizations, COSA departments, and stakeholders collaborate in order to provide an effective community response to this infectious disease as well as other public health challenges.
Professionally, I am seeking an Associate’s Degree in Public Health and would like to transfer to the university to pursue my Master’s in Business Administration. It’s my ultimate goal to assist in developing a position in the City’s Human Resources Department in which executive leadership team members can be evaluated and critiqued on their performance related to employee engagement. They will receive direct feedback of what their overall teams feel work well within the organization, what they think does not work well, and will be provided suggestions for improvement. Personally, I’d like to provide all of the support needed for my 11 year old to graduate high school then pursue a college degree, for my middle son to graduate college with an Engineering degree from UTSA, and for my oldest daughter to complete her rotation hours to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree with Teacher Certification from UTSA.
No matter what age you are, it’s never too late to return to school. Si se puede!! You can do it!!