Do the Thing That Scares You—with Jeyra Arocho - EP051

Are you stuck in the daily grind? Just making it through each day without much progress toward your big picture goals?

What can you do to take your power back and start taking steps toward life and career you want?

Jeyra Arocho was on a five-day trip to Chicago in 2017 when Hurricane Maria hit her home in Puerto Rico. Since then, Jeyra has leveraged resourcefulness and resilience to shift out of fight-or-flight and start making bold moves toward her big dreams.

A recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jeyra currently serves as a Fire Protection Engineer at SmithGroup in Chicago, Illinois. She is also an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of mechanical and architectural engineering.

On this episode of Career Confessions, Jeyra joins me to explain how networking helped her land an internship in Chicago and who encouraged her to finish her engineering degree at UIC.

Jerya discusses the experience of homelessness that taught her to ask for help and describes how her personal life, mental health and career have improved exponentially since she built a support team and prioritized investing in herself.

Listen in for Jeyra’s advice on doing the thing that scares you and learn how YOU can build the confidence to take ownership of your life and make the impact you’re capable of!

Key Takeaways  

How Jeyra was displaced in Chicago during Hurricane Maria

How networking and resourcefulness helped Jeyra land an internship in Chicago 

Who encouraged Jeyra to finish her engineering degree at UIC

How Jerya was recognized as one of UIC’s Inspiring Grads

The experience of homelessness that taught Jeyra to ask for help

How Jeyra’s personal life, mental health and career have improved exponentially since she built a support team

Why Jeyra prioritizes investing in her knowledge

How Jeyra built the confidence to pivot just 3 months into her career 

Jeyra’s commitment to being an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM

Jeyra’s advice around doing the thing that scares you

Connect with Jeyra

Jeyra on Instagram 

Jeyra on LinkedIn

Connect with Andrea

Andrea Martin Consulting

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea on YouTube

Andrea on LinkedIn

Resources

Jeyra’s Interview on UIC Inspiring Grads 2021

Jeyra’s Story in the Chicago Sun Times 

International Latina Engineer Week

Learn More About Success Blueprint Group Coaching

Download Andrea’s Free LinkedIn eBook

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