Page 2 - The Unstoppable Power Stories of Women in Our Mundo

LESLIE SIERRA

Human Resources Manager I come from an economically disadvantaged

family who had to work hard just to get by. As you
can imagine, pursuing a college education was a
costly dream that also meant I had to work hard to
pay for it. I was 16 years old when I got my first job at
a Walmart store in the customer service department.
On my first day of work, I was extremely nervous.

You’re trained to deal with unsatisfied customers
from the very beginning, so all I wanted to do was
solve customers’ issues, avoid confrontation and
finish up my day fast.

After three weeks on the job, my manager said to
me, ‘You have so much potential. You just have to
believe in yourself. Don’t let fear hold you back. As
long as you stay true to your values and are

authentic to who you are, then people will always
respect you.’ And that manager was absolutely right.
I stayed true to myself and after six months, I was
promoted to assist the Human Resources Manager
of the store. Fast forward to today, I have had a
wonderful career working in HR ever since and was
able to fulfill my academic goals along the way too.