Episode 8: An Alumna’s Journey - How She Leveraged a Fashion Education & Retail Career to Transition into the Beauty Corporate World

Jacqueline Walker 0:00 It's always fascinating to hear about the diverse paths that students take after graduating from high school, especially when they pursue a passion and successfully carve out a career for themselves. I myself continue to maintain contact with many of my alumni and have the opportunity to follow their lives and their careers. In today's Future Friday, I sat down with one of my 2011 graduates, Adriana Caballero. She was one of my very creative and ambitious students who made it to DECA ICDC. Her senior year, she went on to study fashion merchandising and marketing in college, and now works in the corporate office of a top beauty company, listening as she shares her post secondary journey, which I'm sure would benefit many seniors to hear as they prepare for the next phase of life.

Jacqueline Walker 1:05 You're listening to Marketing EdVenture, the hub for business, fashion, marketing and other CTE educators who integrate marketing into the learning experience. I'm your host, Jacque' Walker. Each week, I'll cover marketing, education concepts, strategies, tips, trends, frameworks, and other information to equip you to connect your classroom to digital natives while cultivating an engaged learning environment. So come on into the room, where your favorite beverage snacks and even your cell phone are all welcome. Oh, welcome to Marketing EdVenture with Jacque' Walker. Today's guest is Adriana Caballero. And she may correct me on that pronunciation. But Adriana I want to welcome you to the show. So can you go ahead and just tell us a little bit about yourself?

Adriana Caballero 2:05 I am Adriana Caballero. Oh, you got the name, right. I mean, if we want to get to the Spanish we will get there. Yeah, I'm a former student of Ms. Walker and I graduated high school back in 2011. And TWU back in 2015. So transition to my career now and yeah, and welcome to 30 this year, so yeah, so yeah, just a little glimpse.

Jacqueline Walker 2:41 Okay, cool. So what did you study in college?

Adriana Caballero 2:44 So I went to Texas Women's University for fashion merchandising, I left Skyline knowing that that's what I wanted to do. And so I have a Bachelor in science and fashion merchandising, with my minor in marketing.

Jacqueline Walker 2:59 Awesome. Andrea, you kind of follow along in my footsteps. I did design with a minor in marketing. Right. So let's talk about your high school days. So you were in the CTSO DECA. Right. So tell me about your DECA experience.

Adriana Caballero 3:17 Seco was not something that when I went into high school, like not something that I thought I would be a part of, just because my sister went to Skyline too. So all I knew of DECA was the DECA store. Because I was like yeah, I don't really think I want to do that. Like my parents aren't making me work in high school. I don't think I want to do it. But it been in the cluster program and just kind of learning of what DECA was really interesting. And it just opened up so many opportunities, it opened up so much like knowledge that like had I not done it, or had I you know, like not looked to participate in it. Like I don't think I would have done it was pretty cool. Like talking to people that were at different high schools that didn't have like a DECA program or anything like that. They're like, Wait, that's cool. You get to do that in high school. And so DECA was really cool, just kind of, I feel like that's what like helped transition into college because we were thinking outside of the box, you know, we weren't just like contained into being like average teenagers or so we were thinking more outside the box. And then the year that we did the financial literacy project with DECA, I like transition that into like my everyday life even now so many years later. So really cool experience something that I love that I did and was a part of and I don't think my high school experience would have been the same without it.

Jacqueline Walker 4:50 So that's so great to hear. So now in competition, what was your greatest accomplishment with competition in DECA?

Adriana Caballero 4:57 I think just how far we got with financial literacy, I mean, we had a great team with Tyler and Kayonda. And it was just really cool to see how far we were able to get with it. It's been a while. So I don't remember like the level two competition and stuff, but it was just pretty cool. Like how far we were able to advance and just kind of that, you know, we were in a fashion program, but we didn't even do anything with fashion. You know, it was just based on financial literacy and stuff. So I think that was like a pretty cool accomplishment. Because I think the first like DECA competition, you know, you don't really know what to expect. There's kind of like nerves going in, and then you kind of get the hang of it. So like being able to have gotten in that bar with the competition was pretty cool.

Jacqueline Walker 5:44 Okay, yeah. So you all went all the way to ICDC to international DECA competition. So you got to compete. We were in Orlando that year. Yes. And so it was pretty interesting. Because what was that same week was happening that same weekend of the competition? Adriana Caballero 6:06 That was prom weekend, I made sure I was home early, because we had our early morning.

Jacqueline Walker 6:12 So that was a lot to take in for the weekend. But it was pretty fun. So let's, you talked a little bit about how DECA has helped prepare you for you know, life, what are some skills do you think that you took from participating in a marketing program in school, and then also in a DECA CTSO.

Adriana Caballero 6:34 I think with marketing in general, it just kind of like really gave me the idea that that's something that I'm like, Okay, this isn't just, you know, something that I'm going to learn in high school, and then like, not ever apply or not ever take into my career. So it's just a lot of like, basic skills of marketing, right, like, principles of marketing and things like that, that have carried into the many jobs that I've had since then. And then with deco overall, like, I kind of mentioned it transitioning to like college, where, you know, it's, it's school, it's a little bit more series, you're honing in on like, this interests, you know, like, you're not just, you know, yes, you're taking your basics, but you've also chosen a degree to like work into and so it kind of helps me like, Okay, I really liked deca, and competition and preparing for that, and learning about all of that. And now, because I chose to continue with my higher education in the same field. It was just kind of like a easy transition to the like, okay, like, you know, what this is, you know, what it's like to like hone in on this interests of marketing and merchandising and all of it. So I think that's what really helped the transition over and just kind of get through college in general.

Jacqueline Walker 7:51 Yes, most definitely. I know as a part of the program for fashion marketing, that DECA was built into the program, did you participate in any other CSTOs outside of DECA for any other classes or anything?

Adriana Caballero 8:14 No unfortunately, I didn't.

Jacqueline Walker 8:19 Yeah, so with it being a part of your curriculum, did that make you more excited to participate in it? Or was it more like okay, this is just something that we have to do.

Adriana Caballero 8:32 No, I think I was definitely excited to do it. I always I'm, like, I like to learn I like to like advance in like, skills that I already know. So it was just like the added you know, skill to kind of like, the curriculum that we already had to do. So no, I definitely saw it as something that I wanted to do and something that I wanted to just kind of expand on.

Jacqueline Walker 8:53 Okay, awesome. So now after you finish what high school we're going to move away from high school or high school you told us that you won't run into going to school at Texas Women University up in Denton. So you studied fashion merchandising, is that what you studied with a minor in marketing? All right. So after what's about your college experience, so you know, did you get involved in campus life or were you more of a steady focus or how was it for you?

Adriana Caballero 9:26 So the beginning of it obviously I'm a first gen student the first in my immediate family to go to college so I didn't know a lot right I just kind of went in like we're just gonna figure it out. I went in with like a few friends that I knew from high school. So we're just kind of like okay, let's figure it out. So the first like year I didn't really do much with like campus life or like organizations or anything like that, which that is going to be a thing that I definitely regret is that I wish I would have kind of jumped into A lot of more of the organizations and what campus life had to offer because I did live on campus for three years. But eventually, you know, through talking with other people through just kind of like meeting classmates and stuff, and it's like the orgs become a big part of like what college life has to offer, because that's where you kind of meet a whole bunch of people find other interests, because it's like, I knew what I wanted to do, you know, in a major, but it's like, okay, well, what else? What other interests do I have? So I didn't really do much, the first couple of years, just kind of having fun being away from home. But eventually, I did join Greek life later on my second year of school. And so that obviously helped a lot with like, having an organization that cared about grades and like, made sure that you were doing philanthropy and, and things like that, which helped a lot. And that's something that I would not just Greek life, but joining organizations and kind of taking all the resources that there are for students. Yeah,

Jacqueline Walker 11:03 I can also vouch for that, because I didn't get involved at first, and I look back and when I, my daughter participated in a lot of different things while she was in school, and then when I see my students going out there, and they're doing things, I was like, I should have done a little.

Adriana Caballero 11:20 Yeah, for sure. For sure. I'm like, if I could do it again, that's definitely what I would have looked into. And I have a younger brother who will be graduating this December, but when he started school, I told him right away, I'm like a look for org that like interests, you just go to things go to those org affairs. And maybe you don't think that there's something for you, but try it. So yeah, definitely something I wish I would have done from the beginning. But it made a difference, never too late, and still made a difference. And still, I think what made a big part of like, my college experience.

Jacqueline Walker 11:53 Yeah, exactly.

Jacqueline Walker 12:02 So tell us about those survival skills in college, like what are some things that you've relied on to make it through, you know, those days of college and graduating and, you know, forcing yourself to study because nobody's there to tell you.

Adriana Caballero 12:18 It's like learning what study like what my study habits were, because, you know, at first it was just kind of like, you're gonna go with the flow or, you know, a group of friends invite you to do this or go study here. But like, for me, I couldn't be at a coffee shop studying like, I had to be like, in complete silence, like, let's go to the library and get a room there. Were just kind of like, everyone works independently. I just can't study in like group settings. More so just because I didn't have classes where there were like too many group projects that are there were group projects, you know, you dedicated time for that. But like study habits, I had to learn, like what worked best for me. I feel like without knowing that, like I'm a person that I write, I can like be reading it, I can hear it, but I need to, like write it myself. And I can be looking at the book but just like writing it in my journal is like what helped me. So just kind of figuring out what works for you ended up being like a big survival because again, I didn't go in knowing that like writing was a way that I like to study, or that I needed to study in like an individual setting not so much with the group. So that would definitely be one of them. joining organizations as we talked about just kind of exploring campus life and all of that, even if you know you don't live on campus, even if you commute there's still a lot that's available there and just kind of like taking advantage of the resources. And I would say another survival tip would be like for me, because I like to write things down. I need a planner, I need a physical planner and like my planner can look like you know, some days are like filled, filled, filled and some days are empty, but it's nice to have like a grasp of like, what is this week look like? Or what does my month look like? So I think without a planner, I don't know that I'd be able to do because I forget things you know, I mean, there's so much going on. So get a planner and write it down and I cross it off as things went along. And so I made sure that it's like okay, well you've done this this and this that you have this so my number one survival tip is get a planner awesome

Jacqueline Walker 14:27 That is so true. I mean it helps when you write it down and then you can you know look at that and use it as your guide. So now I'm just looking back on High School How could High School have better prepared you are for college or the next you know life after high school?

Adriana Caballero 14:49 Again with like getting involved in high school because you know whether it's a smaller score like a bigger school like Skyline was there is a lot that it offers. We just don't Always think of those things, right? It's like you're there, you want to have fun. You want to have friends, you want to have the best, like high school experiences. But I don't think that especially like in the beginning years, I really thought of like, okay, well, what can I take from this that's going to help me in the long run. And so there were more things that like, I'm sure, I think the one thing would have just been that I like, joining more sooner to because like, I eventually became really involved with like Senate and like, yearbook and things like that. But it wasn't until like my later years of high school, and then personally like one thing that I think I would need to do. Senior year was just kind of like, it's senior year, it's the last year all the memories, all the fun. And so I personally feel like looking back like I like slacked off a little bit that last year. And then it was so hard to start going to school again and being like, Okay, you're not just here to have fun. Like, you can't just take this as a slack off year, the way that you chose to do your senior year. So that was something that like I had to readjust to be like, Okay, you're not just here to have fun, like, you're here for more than that. And so, personally, just looking back, I could have prepared better by just kind of continuing on that route of like, okay, how, what if what I'm doing now is going to help me in the future? What can I do different? And I think that would have been one of them?

Jacqueline Walker 16:23 Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah, cuz even the best of students tend to, like lay back and lay low for senior year and, you know, not turn their work in are not doing as well as they were doing before or you know, but yeah, it's something you learn in life. For sure. A adventurous educator, I just want to take a quick break to ask, is this your first time teaching fashion marketing? Or do you need a boost in your curriculum? Well, look, no further, I have the ultimate fashion marketing class bundle is packed with for vibrant presentations, fun and engaging activities, quizzes, and for major projects for an immersive semester of fashion exploration. And it comes with a pacing guide for an 18 week semester. Additionally, each assignment has detailed student instructions, and suggested pacing times so that you can tailor the timeframe to fit your teaching schedule. For more information about this must have bundle, go to Marketing EdVenture.com and search ultimate passion marketing class bundle, or simply click the link in the show notes. Now back to the show. Alright, so for you now as an adult time management, or even like in college and going from college to adult life, what was what a time management look like for you, I know you met mentioned the planner, anything else that helped you plan your time better?

Adriana Caballero 17:57 Learning what priorities look like, right? I'm thankful to work for a company now that the company has priorities of like God, first family second, and then career. Because I think that especially going into adulthood, you kind of let go of the first two or, you know, you kind of are like, Okay, well I need a job or I need a career, I need to do something that is going to pay me a lot of money, that you kind of lose touch of the other things and just kind of through like my experience of the different fields that I've worked in, I noticed that I was prioritizing the later things, you know, and then ended up in jobs that I didn't like, or jobs that just weren't suited for me. Because I let go of what my priorities were. So time management obviously goes into that because you know, if my family is my priority, but I work 40 hours a week, like what does that look like? What does my time look like? And then just kind of learning of like, again, the agenda part? I mean, now I've transitioned to I still use like a like a desk calendar. But obviously we get a little bit more technical now too, and just kind of communicating what that looks like whether it's in like the work setting, we do really good with the company of like, having obviously shared calendars where people just can see what's going on so that they know okay, well she's prioritizing this meeting this project, this task, where do I fit in? And equally with family, right? It's like okay, well, I mean, lucky for me, I work like a Monday through Friday, nine to five job but even then it's like, okay, where does my family fit into that and stuff like that. So I think into adulthood is just kind of like learning what your priorities are. And those can shift over time and stuff and being adaptable to that change as well but just kind of really honing in on like, okay, yes, my career is important, but there are other things that can kind of come first and how do they fit in to my daily routine? Jacqueline Walker 19:59 Yeah, that's good. That's a good way to think about it. I mean, it's a constant change. And we all we have to, you know, constantly adapt to whatever our environment or situations in the change brings about. So let's, um, you talked about careers, let's move into discussing your career path. So after college, or even while you were in college, if you were working, like what did your career path look like?

Adriana Caballero 20:21 So I think right after high school, maybe probably like my last year of high school, I started working retail, I worked for Old Navy for many, many years, and many, many locations. And I don't know I liked retail retail was for me, it just, I like clothes. I like being at the registers and counting money and seeing what people bought. And so that's kind of like what kick started it. In college. I did. I think I came home for one of the holiday seasons and was like, Okay, well, you need a job. And so there Bradley was hiring seasonal workers. So I like to read telling you that it was something I wanted to do so started working there. And what was a seasonal position became like a permanent position. kind of grew there. I was there for I think, right under like three years. And this was like right before I finished school. And then even as I was finishing school, stayed there and Vera Bradley just like really helped me expand on what I like, I liked retail, but there's more retail right than just checking people out and stuff. One thing there was just kind of like how much I liked the customer interaction, because that'll maybe, you know, you don't really, I mean, you talk to people for like five minutes, and then they go on about their day. But at Vera Bradley we really valued the people that we you know, came in frequently the people that we knew by name, the people that we knew what to pool when we knew that they were walking into the store, and so really cultivating in all those, like personal interactions, which like ties into like now, which is crazy, because I'm like, I wouldn't have thought that Vera Bradley was going to be the place or like that kind of cultivated. And then with that eventually with bear Bradley because I was finishing school, I needed an internship and I was like, Okay, I don't want to leave my job. But how can I do school a job and an internship possible, but not something that I really wanted to do. So luckily, they were able to do an in house internship with with for me, where I just kind of took over their the Explore sets and their visual merchandising, which was pretty cool. Because even though we would get in, you know, from corporate what the visuals needed to look like, they really like let me in and it's like, okay, apply what you've been learning, apply what you know, and like, what do you change, and it was cool to see that like changes I would make at our store. They'd be like, Okay, let's call all the North Texas stores and have them do the same thing. So really gave me my hand at visual merchandising. And I loved it, I it was such a cool experience. It was like a cool company. I still like love the products and stuff. But I got to just kind of do that. Like as I was wrapping up. And then I don't know, the retail experience was fun. But after some time, it gets a little tiring. Those ball hours are long, and you're on your feet all day. And those four sets were long and they got longer each time and I was just kind of at the point where like, Okay, I'm done with school now. I don't want to work air Bradley forever, but like, what do I want to do there Bradley had positions in their corporate but I can't think of where their corporate is, I want to say it's somewhere that it was not desirable for me to move to kind of like, well, where do I go from here and just took the opportunity that came to me I went into property management and then property management for five years in various aspects of it, I went the like multifamily residential route, I've done the industrial commercial route have it and I liked it. It just took away that personal aspect that I realized that there Bradley that I really liked, like, I went from, you know, purses and clothes and retail to very, like, money and accounting and numbers and stuff like that. So it's like it was a way to like build my portfolio of a career. But it just, it took away that aspect of like, okay, I like like a more personal connection. So after five years, I wasn't looking to really leave I wasn't looking for anything else. But opportunity just came knocking at my door. And I got a message on LinkedIn from one of the recruiters at Mary Kay saying like, hey, we have this position. We would like to know if you would like to set up an interview and I was kind of like I wasn't looking but okay. So two and a half years ago now or a little bit yeah, that two and a half years ago that happened was basically with their customer service. Just taking in what their customer service because of all their retail experience that I had, and just how can it improve? Like, what did that look like and a lot of the training, so a lot of training for new hires that came on to like the customer service team, and just kind of taking all the customer service experience that I had and making Mary Kay stand out, you know, we don't just have regular customers, we have independent contractors that are working to provide us jobs, right, because without us, without them, we don't have jobs. And so what can our customer service representatives do to like, take that up a notch. And so I was there for a year and a half. And then another opportunity came up, because obviously working at a company with 4000 employees, you meet a lot of people, and I'm now in the career car services department. So big shift, I would have never thought that that's where I'd be, but very cool to be part of like the, we're under the recognition department of Mary Kay. So obviously, for those independent beauty consultants, there's a lot of recognition that comes into all the work that they do. And so one of those being a career car, most famously, are pink Cadillacs. So all the back end that comes with that. So ordering cars in advance and forecasting orders, because we need to know how many orders of cars we're going to need, you know, in the next two years, making sure that production of those cars is going to line up. And we have things like strikes that come up. And so a lot of like the back end of the career car services department. And so I've been in that department for about a year now. It's been great, I love it so much, I would have never thought that that's where I'd see myself. And so I circled back because I get that one on one connection, because we know our car drivers, I mean, I can see your name, and I can tell you what she drives or how long she's been driving a career car, because you get to build that up with them, you know, they might be struggling with something and you're the one that they're gonna call. So just kind of like circling back in, all my retail experience came back in with like, customer service and everything of being able to provide to these people. But then obviously, throughout the years of like property management, we keep, you know, records on like accounting and stuff like that, too. So somehow, some way it feels full circle now where I'd ever see myself, but I mean, do we ever really know where we're gonna end up?

Jacqueline Walker 27:34 That is so true. And as you were talking about, like, you know, buying the vehicles and everything, it just reminded me of going to market even in the fashion industry, and buyers have to go out and purchase for their stores and things of that nature. And they have to know that you know, the budget and all of that kind of stuff. So it really reminded me of that same sort of industry. So it's kind of the same thing. It's just a different product. Right?

Adriana Caballero 28:02 Yeah. And I think about that, because we talk about forecasts, you know, when we have to look at what cars we're ordering, we're looking at forecast, and I was like, Wait, the first time that I sat in on one of those meetings, I'm like, it's kind of like trend forecasting. Sounds like I know what this is, like, you don't think about what am I going to wear two years from now. But trend forecasters have to and not just two years, but you know, at a bigger like, increments of time. And so yeah, it's been pretty cool. How like beings that I never thought would be full circle, like, come back. And I'm like, wait, I know a little about this. Jacqueline Walker 28:35 Yeah, that is so cool. I, you know, I never even thought about the back end of the person who has to actually order those cars. You know, you just always see the end result. And somebody's driving down the street, and they're pink Cadillac.

Adriana Caballero 28:49 Yeah, I never thought of all the back into it either like title and licensing and registration. And we have to know what registration requirements are in each state and counties and things like that. So I've learned a lot in the year that I've been there a lot more than I ever thought I'd knew about. I'd know about cars or title and licensing, but here we are.

Jacqueline Walker 29:11 Excellent. Excellent. Well, you've given so much valuable information, I'm pretty sure that any student who's listening to this will be able to say, okay, I can see how you know, things went full circle for you, or how you've even taken some of those skills and knowledge that you've learned in high school and college and apply them to the different careers that you have.

Jacqueline Walker 29:37 So let's move into an area that I like to call Tell me more. And it's just, you know, the little, you know, just a few questions just to ask you about your stuff and things that you can share. So it's just meant to be a little fun section, and then we'll wrap up with a couple of questions here. All right. So it's one must have resource as a young adult that you could not live without her, you know, that helped you.

Adriana Caballero 30:00 You're gonna hear it again. But my agenda, my planner, I can't like I really don't know what I would do without a planner. I mean, like I said, Now I transition to using my phone a lot, but I don't know where I'd be without it. That's my must have.

Jacqueline Walker 30:17 That's great. That's great. So now, what about a cheat code as an adult? Have you what she could have you used to master adulting?

Adriana Caballero 30:28 I think it's that you can never plan too far in advance. I know that sounds crazy. But like, if I look at my phone calendar, I mean, I have plans through like June of 2024. And I'm not saying that, like every day is planned out. But it helps it helps get a grasp of like, what does this look like my parents live in Houston, they moved to Houston five years ago. So I have to plan to go see them. And you know, you don't just drive to use them for a day. I'm like they're for a weekend or I get to enjoy them for a long weekend. So I think, like becoming an adult and kind of learning that, I would think like, oh, I don't even know what I'm doing this weekend. What do you mean, what am I doing in two, three weeks, but like, now, it's been such a big tool that helps me keep my priorities in check and have a work life balance. Because I know in advance, you know, things that I have planned. And of course, you know, things happen and stuff. But when you plan ahead, you're are thinking of it. So you kind of have that in the back of your mind will, I need to also learn how to adapt to change, because things that we have planned might not work out. So I think that's been like my biggest, like cheat code is just kind of you can't plan too far in advance.

Jacqueline Walker 31:39 That's a good one. I mean, cuz you can't, I mean, it's great to put those things on your calendar so that even because in certain industries, you do have to plan, you know, few months out or what have you. So it's good to have those things on your calendar, even if you don't have all the dates filled up. But that's gonna bump heads with this wedding date that I have, and you know,

Adriana Caballero 32:01 Exactly. And like what I'm doing with work. Now I am helping with those forecasts of those orders. And I'm thinking, How do we know how many car qualifiers we're gonna have two, three years from now. But it's like, okay, well, you use trends, and you look at history, and you look at, you know, business on the standpoint. And so yes, I do have to think about what cars are we going to be ordering in 2025. So that's what I'm like, okay, yeah, you can never plan too far in advance, because some way all comes around. And like I said, even if things change, I mean, you just have it in the back of your, of your mind.

Jacqueline Walker 32:34 Exactly. Right. So let's think something fun. What if you could be any superstar or celebrity who?

Adriana Caballero 32:44 Ah, that's a good question.

Jacqueline Walker 32:48 Just for one day, this day,

Adriana Caballero 32:50 I think I would want to be Kim Kardashian. Because I think that the way that I see that her mind works, she's just such a businesswoman. She turns everything into a business. But she also stays very true to herself. I feel like, you know, from what, what we get to see. And so I think it'd be really cool for like a day to see what her day looks like, like, how many meetings, isn't she? And how many businesses? Is she working at it at one time? I'm really intrigued,

Jacqueline Walker 33:24 right? Yeah, cuz they are, you know, even though, you know, what you see is the image, they really are business oriented. So it would be very interesting to see like, the serious side of them, how they sit down and make decisions and all of that. That'd be great. Alright, so I'm just thinking back to high school, if you, you know, we're talking to a young high schooler and they were trying to put a decision about whether they wanted to join an organization a CTSO. Or even if they said, You were in deca, you know, should I join DECA? What? What is one thing that you would tell them to encourage them to get involved?

Adriana Caballero 34:03 Yeah, I would say do it like you never know until you try. And even if you try, and you realize that it's not for you, I mean, that's okay. I would say like, take the take the risk. I mean, it's not necessarily always like the high jump, you know, there might be a little skip, of just going for a day looking at what it looks like. And then if you decide that it's not for you, you're never left with the what if you tried it? So I would say, I mean, just do it. If there's an interest if there's like a peak of interest, or someone brings it up to you, and you're like, should I I mean, you just never know. So I would say try it, you don't have a lot to lose, and so you don't know what opportunities are gonna come out of it. Or again, maybe it's not just for you, but it also helps, you know, guide you to what you do want to do.

Jacqueline Walker 34:48 Yeah, exactly. And then you know, the friendships along the way that you get to build and all the fun you get to have awesome. So my last question is thinking about advisors because this is going To be seen by mostly teachers, who are advisors or sponsors of a program, what is something that you would tell an advisor or a sponsor that, you know, could be of encouragement to them? Or even advice on how to engage their students? or what have you in the program?

Adriana Caballero 35:20 I think just like, overall encouragement, because sometimes I'm not, I didn't think I was like a words of affirmation person. But I learned that I mean, you Miss Walker used to, like, encourage me so much. It's like, I knew that I could do it. But I wouldn't want to apply myself to do it. And just like even saying, like the words of encouragement, because again, I used to think that I didn't need the words of affirmation to get me to do something, but just hearing it, you know, hearing like, I'm so proud of you are here. And like, I know, you can do it, just like little things like that makes such an impact. Because, I mean, they might not be things that we hear often or, you know, they might not be things that we think about, or because I'm a person that doubts myself a lot. And like, is in my head about well, do you really know? So just hearing someone say, Well, I know you can do it. Okay, that's all I need. So I think just like leaning in, and two, quick little encouragement like that, because they make the world of a difference is something that I would, you know, advise for an advisor to, like, take the time to really do if it's not something that they already do, because it makes a big difference.

Jacqueline Walker 36:27 Awesome that is so perfect. And I think that is so true. I mean, we're there to move the kids along the way and help guide them. So those words of affirmation are definitely a plus, Adriana, this has been a real treat to sit down and talk to you. It's been so long since I've seen you. So I really do. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come here and talk with us here at Marketing EdVenture.

Adriana Caballero 36:51 Yes, any time I love what you're doing, and you've always done so great, and all the resources that you continue to offer to people, which is really great. So thank you for thinking of me and for having me on and, and giving me the opportunity just to kind of share

Jacqueline Walker 37:08 no problem at all. And who knows, maybe we'll have you back a little bit later. Because I do want to have a careers talk with many of the alumni or just people out in the industry as well. So I'm really intrigued by the things that you've done and Mary Kay and I think that'd be something valuable that the teachers can learn from and that students can you know, say, oh, okay, there's more to marketing and business than just what we may learn in the classroom because there's so much out there in the industry didn't learn about

Adriana Caballero 37:40 right, right.

Jacqueline Walker 37:44 Wow, I so enjoyed that conversation. Now. There are three things that I took away from my conversation with Adriana. One is engaging in your campus in Job communities can benefit your personal growth. And then secondly, planning is key to balancing your life. And then finally, to explore careers that really connect to your passion. While those are three great things to take away. Now since competition season is around the corner for many DECA districts. In the next episode, I will talk about some key strategies to conquer the roleplay. I even have a freebie to help your students with this event. Now if you sponsor a different CTSO, you may still find value in the strategies shared. Until next time, have a wonderfully blessed day. Thanks for listening to marketing EdVenture. Remember to subscribe, rate, review and share this episode with someone you think would benefit from the information shared here today. If you have any questions or want to connect with me, find me on Instagram at marketing EdVenture. All links and resources discussed in this episode can be found in the show notes at marketingEdVenture.com