Thank You For Being Such A Vital Part Of Our Team, Crystal Bautista. We Look Forward To Sharing More About You So Others Can Get To Know You Better!
What or who inspired you to pursue your major/career?
What inspired me to pursue my major in marketing is the ongoing changes in the industry. That is because marketing can be seen or found anywhere through social media, influencers, ads, etc. This helps give marketers the chance to connect with people and have a huge impact. But what really inspired me to pursue marketing is the creative drive that comes along with it. Having creativity and being challenged is essential to help build progression and innovation.
What is one thing you are most proud of achieving in your life?
One thing I am proud of achieving in my life is discovering my passion for the arts. I have had a history of mental health struggles and dealing with depression. Therefore, there weren’t a lot of reasons for me to be happy or be motivated while growing up. But when I was introduced to the arts, such as acting and drawing, something miraculous happened. Not only was I able to excel, but I now felt like I had a place or a purpose. It even got to a point where I was being invited to audition for performing art schools.
What keeps you motivated? What maintains your passion for and commitment to the work you are doing?
What keeps me motivated is that my efforts will somehow inspire others to be motivated. Growing up, I didn’t have too many people to look up to other than my mother. Therefore, I was inspired to become a role model for myself. And in the process, I was able to inspire others: people often come to me for advice. I still have a lot to learn, but knowing that I have been able to overcome many obstacles on my own is what keeps me going.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
A person I am grateful for who helped me get to where I am is my mother. She is someone who had to give up her education to help support her family when she was still in high school. When she had my brother and me, she worked to provide us with an education. Many obstacles got in the way such as money and housing. But still, my mother fought her way through all of that without ever complaining about it.
Share one professional development goal and one personal goal you have for the upcoming year.
One professional development goal I have for the upcoming year is to improve my communication skills. I need to be able to deliver and receive information that is clear and meaningful for myself and those around me. One personal goal for the upcoming year is to relocate out of my hometown. I think that moving away from my hometown will allow me to be independent, which is essential as I grow more into my 20s. Life can be full of hiccups, so it’s better to experience them early rather than later in life.
Why did you choose to be an intern for Educate. Radiate. Elevate.?
I chose to be an intern for Educate. Radiate. Elevate. because other than wanting to gain more experience with Marketing, I was very taken aback by the mission of the community. Society often explains why equity is important, but there is not much done about it. So for there to be an opportunity for underserved students of color to receive a high-quality education is just the beginning of what needs to be fixed in the education system. I also chose to be an intern for Educate. Radiate. Elevate because I am a student of color and have experienced racism in the education system. I have witnessed other students of color struggle with their education and have to drop out. If given the opportunity, I would love to volunteer for Educate. Radiate. Elevate. again.
What about the Educate. Radiate. Elevate.’s Purpose, Mission, and Core Values speaks most to you and why?
What spoke to me the most about Educate. Radiate. Elevate.’s Purpose, Mission, and Core Values is how the community goes the extra mile to educate underserved students of color. Educate. Radiate. Elevate. not only teaches their students enough to make up for any learning lost, but they also prepare students for life outside the classroom. Many schools and teachers don’t stop to think about how important our future youth is. And they do the bare minimum without considering how neglecting their students can have major hardships for them. Educate. Radiate. Elevate.’s Purpose, Mission, and Core Values should be the standard for all schools.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
What I enjoy most about volunteering is being able to work with people from diverse backgrounds to help complete the same goal. It’s always remarkable to see that you’re not the only one who wants to make a difference in a specific area. And to have multiple opinions, perspectives, and personalities work together can help change how we see the world. Working with people from diverse backgrounds will allow us to value and respect the differences of others. Everyone should volunteer at least once in their lives because of the personal growth you and others will experience together.
What do you like to do in your free time?
During my free time, I like to either read or write poetry. Poetry has often been underestimated and underappreciated, even in today’s generation. Even though poetry is relatively short, it helps readers and writers discover sentiments that they never knew they had. Not only will people be able to have a better understanding of sentiments, but they will be able to understand the power, moods, and depth that words have. One of the problems with today’s generation is that many people refuse to take the time to understand each other. Poetry can help you understand others because it gives you the tranquility to look at things from someone else’s perspective and develop empathy for others.
Please share your favorite Life Lesson quote. How is it relevant to your life?
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” – Rocky Balboa
Despite this quote being from a film, it is still relevant to my life because there have been times when I felt defeated. And my first response would be to quickly compare myself to others and how I would never get to their level of success. But then I quickly realized that not everyone is born into success. Many people may have felt defeated at one point and chose to keep going against all odds. Life is a gift for as long as we work to make it that way.
