When I first moved to Austin from Puerto Rico, there were a few things that felt familiar after a prior visit. The weather was different and the city was booming with professional opportunities. As with many transplants, I focused on my career and exploring the city with family and friends I made through work. After 5 years of growing professionally in the Legal Services industry and my family moving out-of-state, I found myself with a lack of community. I had not taken the time to build and lay down roots in the city I had decided to call home.
I wanted to learn how to network, make new friends, grow personally and professionally, and start volunteering. I learned about YWA from Instagram, checked out the website, and decided to join in July 2022.
Once I joined, I decided I wanted to be active within the organization and really make the best out of my experience as a member. I joined the Communications committee as a Content Writer and it has been fun to exchange ideas with seasoned marketers that are welcoming and regard your input. I am currently participating in the YWA Connect program and learning how to be a mentee.
There are many resources available through YWA that have helped me expand and acquire new skills. As we celebrate our 30 years as an organization, I am looking forward to facing my fear of fundraising and developing that skill to contribute in achieving YWA’s goal of raising $50,000 this month to continue serving our community and members. Fundraising for a campaign that is close to your heart allows you to be creative regarding the strategy you will implement to achieve your goal. This is a great opportunity to reach out to your network and let them know what some of your interests are. This is my first fundraising campaign and my first step is reaching out to a fellow YWA member, who has done it before to get their feedback, and identify what is the best approach to reach out to my family, friends and network.
YWA was the missing piece of the puzzle of making Austin feel like home and providing that community for me to grow and establish new relationships. Being able to network with other people who share similar goals, different backgrounds, and experiences is pretty amazing!
Austin is a great place to live, but it’s even better when we help each other reach our goals and YWA for me represents community!
Adriana Ortiz
