Note from the editor: While Old Man Winter hasn’t quite left us yet, we’ve started to experience the sun (and rain) that comes with spring. Along with the transition of winter to spring, March is dedicated to pay tribute to the incredible women who have contributed to society and our lives in their own way. At Intel, we recognize the advantage that a diverse workforce offers and the unique challenges that females face in the workforce. That’s why we have our own Women’s Initiative Program to remove barriers, provide support and empower women to achieve a career of personal bests at Intel. As part of International Women’s History Month, our program manager, Zella, connected with some of the many inspirational women at Intel to ask them about their inspirations. Zella joined Intel in 2000 and has many roles within the company including technical roles in Intel’s Technology and Manufacturing Group. She has a doctorate in Education, Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University where her research focused on technical development and career advancement for female semiconductor engineers. In our first post, Zella introduces us to Sylvia.
Sylvia is a passionate, creative, Colombian self-proclaimed geek who joined Intel over 9 years ago and currently works as a Marketing Programs Manager for the PC Client Group. Sylvia is known for her creativity and out-of-the box thinking, especially when it comes to looking at fresh, compelling ways of delivering messages, demos and benefits to her audience. She loves to learn new things and loves to share her knowledge with others. She uses these talents to lead creative marketing efforts around some of our coolest PC products and technologies. Sylvia is a graduate of the University of Miami (Hurricanes) and moved to Portland 9 years ago. She loves Barre* workouts and tennis, and recently spent part of her sabbatical attending Roland Garros in Paris. I asked Sylvia about women who inspire her, and this is what she had to share:
“Personally, it’s impossible to narrow it down the inspirational woman in my life to just one individual. Externally, it’s my tía (aunt) Rocío. My aunt is an 81 year old woman who is VERY active, which is why she is in such great physical and mental condition. When she turned 60 she was stuck at home in NJ due to a horrible storm. Instead of getting cabin fever, she decided she would go learn how to Ski. That showed me that it is never too late to learn or try something new. She recently wrote a book, is on the Board of Advisors for a local school and not only keeps her professional practice going but is also an incredibly involved family member. Internally (to Intel), it would be my previous GM and VP, Michelle Johnston. Michelle, while much, much younger than my aunt, is not far off in her accomplishments. Somehow she manages to successfully lead an entire organization of hundreds of employees, is very involved in her kids school – knows about school assignments and participates in numerous activities – AND she planned her sister’s entire wedding. I can barely handle work and a cat but this gives me hope. Both Michelle and my aunt Rocío are very strong working moms and firstborns with natural leader abilities. In our family, my aunt is the head of the clan – everyone comes to her for advice, wisdom, support and encouragement. Since I was a very young girl, my aunt encouraged me to try new things, to follow my passions, to never give up. It didn’t matter what I was interested in at the time, she always had words of praise and reassurance. While working for Michelle I always felt like I had someone pushing me to realize my potential, guiding me to focus on what I do best and recognizing what makes me unique. What’s wonderful about both of these women and my relationship with them is that they’ve made me want to push myself beyond my limits to prove them right and make them proud.”
Who inspires you? Let us know in the comments!
Sylvia is a passionate, creative, Colombian self-proclaimed geek who joined Intel over 9 years ago and currently works as a Marketing Programs Manager for the PC Client Group. Sylvia is known for her creativity and out-of-the box thinking, especially when it comes to looking at fresh, compelling ways of delivering messages, demos and benefits to her audience. She loves to learn new things and loves to share her knowledge with others. She uses these talents to lead creative marketing efforts around some of our coolest PC products and technologies. Sylvia is a graduate of the University of Miami (Hurricanes) and moved to Portland 9 years ago. She loves Barre* workouts and tennis, and recently spent part of her sabbatical attending Roland Garros in Paris. I asked Sylvia about women who inspire her, and this is what she had to share:
“Personally, it’s impossible to narrow it down the inspirational woman in my life to just one individual. Externally, it’s my tía (aunt) Rocío. My aunt is an 81 year old woman who is VERY active, which is why she is in such great physical and mental condition. When she turned 60 she was stuck at home in NJ due to a horrible storm. Instead of getting cabin fever, she decided she would go learn how to Ski. That showed me that it is never too late to learn or try something new. She recently wrote a book, is on the Board of Advisors for a local school and not only keeps her professional practice going but is also an incredibly involved family member. Internally (to Intel), it would be my previous GM and VP, Michelle Johnston. Michelle, while much, much younger than my aunt, is not far off in her accomplishments. Somehow she manages to successfully lead an entire organization of hundreds of employees, is very involved in her kids school – knows about school assignments and participates in numerous activities – AND she planned her sister’s entire wedding. I can barely handle work and a cat but this gives me hope. Both Michelle and my aunt Rocío are very strong working moms and firstborns with natural leader abilities. In our family, my aunt is the head of the clan – everyone comes to her for advice, wisdom, support and encouragement. Since I was a very young girl, my aunt encouraged me to try new things, to follow my passions, to never give up. It didn’t matter what I was interested in at the time, she always had words of praise and reassurance. While working for Michelle I always felt like I had someone pushing me to realize my potential, guiding me to focus on what I do best and recognizing what makes me unique. What’s wonderful about both of these women and my relationship with them is that they’ve made me want to push myself beyond my limits to prove them right and make them proud.”
Who inspires you? Let us know in the comments!