Alumni Visit - Yadira Serna
On December 20, 2011, Genesys Works - Chicago welcomed back members of its first class at our first ever Alumni Panel. Former young professionals, home at the end of the semester, came to catch up with one another and share their wisdom with the current class of Genesys Works - Chicago Young Professionals.
One unique alumni story is that of Yadira Serna. A freshman majoring in Business Administration at Chicago's Saint Xavier University, Serna continues to work for the company at which she interned while in Genesys Works, TransUnion.
While at Genesys Works, Serna fought through a great deal of challenges to reach her goals. The eldest of four, she often found that she was without help as her parents were working hard and there were no other siblings to guide her along. She was the guiding force, feeling the pressure to be a good influence and taking up the responsibility of watching over her siblings. With this, she often felt afraid of failing. At her internship, she struggled to be recognized as a professional and not as "the high school intern."
Serna turned her fears into motivation. Throughout her time at Genesys Works, she learned "that anyone can achieve success, but it takes a lot of time, planning, and dedication." She learned from her parents and seeing their struggles and was called to action. "Achieving a goal is never easy, but Genesys Works taught me that by taking baby steps my goals can be achieved. " As she went through the program, she crafted herself into a true professional. At the end of her time with Genesys Works, both her supervisors and the Genesys Works staff continuously raved about her work ethic, performance and fantastic attitude.
Outside of work, Serna gained the confidence to get into college through the Career and College Connection Program. Working with the Genesys Works staff and her fellow Young Professionals, she found that the program created what she describes as "a major/best change in my life." She was now headed to college, a dream accomplished. "When I received my first acceptance letter I felt extremely astonished. I knew that I had a good chance in getting accepted (since I've always kept a good GPA), but seeing the scholarship award was a shocking surprise. I had been told that I was not going to be able to attend a university because, being a minority, my parents would not be able to afford it. This scholarship helped me prove them wrong, and that feeling of accomplishing something that others felt I couldn't was the most awesome and powerful feeling."
At Saint Xavier, Yadira continues to exhibit the positive attitude and work ethic that has made her successful. She stated that her time has been a "great experience" as she has made a lot of new friends but has been challenged to maintain her academic success. Balancing school, commuting, a social life, and working at TransUnion has been difficult. But, Yadira understands the opportunity being presented to her and has worked to prioritize and maintain balance.
She is currently focused on continuing to be a team player at TransUnion and is gaining more responsibility each day. In addition, she has a goal to achieve a GPA of 3.8 at Saint Xavier University. Serna continues to push herself to achieve, keeping in mind the lessons she has learned and never giving up.
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