Silvana Marmolejos – Empowering Individuals to Live Out Their Dreams
Silvana Marmolejos is creative and mission-driven. In addition to excelling at empowering individuals to live out their dreams as a Casting Director, she founded the non-profit organization Quinces Con Causa and carried out a mission serving underprivileged orphan girls in the Dominican Republic. Read on to learn more about this empowered Latina!
Ana: What prepared you to become a leader in the creative consulting and production space, both in education and prior experience?
Silvana: I believe preparation begins at home. I am the oldest of three sisters and I had to take on a leadership role early on in my life since my mom was an entrepreneur. This definitely played a role in my Project Management skills since I looked after my sisters early on. I would say that this played a major part in my creative preparation. My sisters can tell you how I would creatively put together a meal with very few ingredients, made a Halloween costume with very few fashion items, prepared entertainment numbers for the family to enjoy, etc. It was survival of the fittest for me- it also helped that I was a magnet, gifted and international baccalaureate student. This type of education really nurtured my creative juices and alternate ways of thinking and problem solving.
Ana: What makes you proud of the work you do?
Silvana: I allow talented individuals to live out their dreams, shine, and tell their stories. It is honestly an honor and a blessing. I see people grow throughout the whole process and come to a great place of fulfillment. This is very gratifying.
Ana: What is your passion? How do you live your “why”?
Silvana: My passion is to explore my talents and know that I am using them in a way where those around me are growing as well as myself. I am also a very spiritual individual and I make sure to pay attention to what life is telling me. Thus, staying aligned and knowing that I am pushing myself to the next level is very important in knowing your why.
Ana: How do you feel you are contributing to your community?
Silvana: I work with young ladies who are looking to further develop in education and growth- someone did it for me and so I would like to pay it forward. I also have a non-profit called Quinces Con Causa which is an organization that empowers, motivates, and inspires girls who live in poverty driven areas to pursue higher education to develop their personal, spiritual and professional acumen.
Ana: What advice would you give to other professional and entrepreneurial Latinas, whether coming from other countries, or already in the US, to grow in their career and professional or business objectives?
Silvana: I would say to really focus on educating yourself in the area that you would like to become and expert in. Before this, the soul searching part is very important, because at times we do not know exactly what is it that we want. But once we really work on figuring out what gives us purpose and make us happy- we shall get there more easily.
Internships and informational interviews are also very helpful in this process. Really do research and take the time to figure out where you want to be- and then figure out a plan of action. Make sure to network since this is really important so that once you are done with your education portion, you can then send out those resumes to those people who already know you and your work ethic- that are rooting for you! The important thing is to get out there and build your work experience since great work will always equal more great work opportunities.
Ana: Anything else you would like to share with us?
Silvana: Never be afraid to try something new and re-invent yourself. Your mind and the way that you think can take you anywhere that you would like to go. Have Faith and press on!
Thank you Silvana for your work and passion to bring out the best in everyone!
