Each month a new article featuring a women leader from San Antonio will be published. Each interviewee will have a short biography and Q & A. We hope this student-community engagement will further students' social and critical thinking skills.
Asking Councilwoman
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Q & A
Miranda Liguez: Hard work and dedication pays off in many different forms; for you hard work paid off in the form of a 1992 red Nissan. How does the pick-up continue to motivate you today? Is it a symbol of all things you have done or a symbol of things that motivate you to work towards a larger goal?
Councilwoman Sandoval: Given that my father still has that truck, it helps me realize the value of taking good care of things! I live next door to my parents, so I see the truck on a daily basis. It’s a reminder of working hard for others and especially for family.
ML: Continuing with the narrative of the red Nissan, I can re-encounter the months leading up to your second election voting date. Seeing the pickup parked outside your headquarters was an effective way to remind District 7 residents to vote and has proven effective as you enter your second term. Congratulations! What other endeavors have you in years past tried to accomplish, but never truly knew if you could get there? Were there any moments of doubt or have you kept a positive, can-do attitude?
CS:Thank you. The election win was possible because of community support and so many great volunteers. Of course, my team at the council office is really for whom people were voting. The election demonstrated that the public supports the work they do.
I’ve tried a lot of things – and not all of them worked. However, you won’t know what you can do it until you try. And in the end, the things that do work out are usually for the best. For instance, when I was working in San Francisco, I spent several years preparing to return to graduate school for another degree. I took evening courses, studied for the standardized entrance exam (the equivalent of the SAT for graduate school), and I took the exam (more than once!). Nonetheless, I didn’t get into some of the programs to which I applied. I felt disappointed and had doubts about whether or not I was doing the right things or on the right path. But then I applied to the Harvard School of Public Health for a master’s in public health. I was accepted with a full tuition scholarship! I know it was for the best because I had a phenomenal educational experience, made great friends there, and Boston is one of my favorite cities.
ML: As a graduate from Thomas Jefferson (a neighboring school of the YWLA) and knowing District 7 as ‘home’, was leaving San Antonio frightening or a freeing experience? Was it a mixture of both and other emotions? Any advice for seniors in similar situations considering leaving as well?
CS:Liberating and challenging. I had the opportunity to visit MIT as a high school senior. I immediately felt at home there. The students were welcoming, the weather was perfect, and the energy on campus was palpable. I was excited to attend. There were so many interesting students to meet and so much exciting material to learn. But the workload was tremendous. Many students there were brilliant. Some had attended prep schools and intense summer programs. I did worry that I couldn’t keep up. Nonetheless, MIT had many support programs, and I was very successful.
My advice would be to pick a school that has programs that support incoming students, such as tutoring or career guidance. It also helps if the campus has organizations that you want to join. In college I was part of La Union Chicana por Aztlan (LUChA, the Mexican American students association) and the Tech Catholic Community. Those groups became extended families for me.
ML: Are you willing to share a personal college/work related experience that exemplified how sometime leaving the comfort of the known can lead to more liberating experience?
CS: I moved to San Francisco in 2005 for a job at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. I missed my family very much. However, in San Francisco I acquired professional experience that would have been difficult to attain in San Antonio.
I have a master’s in atmospheric modeling from Stanford University where I focused on climate change. In my San Francisco job I was able to apply my technical skills and my studies in climate change as the company was in the process of launching a climate change program. I was quickly promoted two levels, later became a manager in communications, and finally the chief of staff. I don’t know that I would have been able to achieve that professional mobility here in San Antonio, simply because air quality and climate change were not priorities here. Sometimes, you need to find the opportunities where they are.
Nonetheless, my goal was always to return to San Antonio to make a better place. So now that I am home, and I can apply the lessons I’ve learned in other places.
ML: Finally, what is a piece of advice you think any girl our age -sixth graders to seniors- can learn from? Any advice that they should carry with them through their academic career?
CS: No matter what is on your plate, you should always prioritize sleeping well, eating well, and exercise. All of these help your brain, keep you healthy, and help you live longer. You can’t be a success without these important habits!
Councilwoman Sandoval: Given that my father still has that truck, it helps me realize the value of taking good care of things! I live next door to my parents, so I see the truck on a daily basis. It’s a reminder of working hard for others and especially for family.
ML: Continuing with the narrative of the red Nissan, I can re-encounter the months leading up to your second election voting date. Seeing the pickup parked outside your headquarters was an effective way to remind District 7 residents to vote and has proven effective as you enter your second term. Congratulations! What other endeavors have you in years past tried to accomplish, but never truly knew if you could get there? Were there any moments of doubt or have you kept a positive, can-do attitude?
CS:Thank you. The election win was possible because of community support and so many great volunteers. Of course, my team at the council office is really for whom people were voting. The election demonstrated that the public supports the work they do.
I’ve tried a lot of things – and not all of them worked. However, you won’t know what you can do it until you try. And in the end, the things that do work out are usually for the best. For instance, when I was working in San Francisco, I spent several years preparing to return to graduate school for another degree. I took evening courses, studied for the standardized entrance exam (the equivalent of the SAT for graduate school), and I took the exam (more than once!). Nonetheless, I didn’t get into some of the programs to which I applied. I felt disappointed and had doubts about whether or not I was doing the right things or on the right path. But then I applied to the Harvard School of Public Health for a master’s in public health. I was accepted with a full tuition scholarship! I know it was for the best because I had a phenomenal educational experience, made great friends there, and Boston is one of my favorite cities.
ML: As a graduate from Thomas Jefferson (a neighboring school of the YWLA) and knowing District 7 as ‘home’, was leaving San Antonio frightening or a freeing experience? Was it a mixture of both and other emotions? Any advice for seniors in similar situations considering leaving as well?
CS:Liberating and challenging. I had the opportunity to visit MIT as a high school senior. I immediately felt at home there. The students were welcoming, the weather was perfect, and the energy on campus was palpable. I was excited to attend. There were so many interesting students to meet and so much exciting material to learn. But the workload was tremendous. Many students there were brilliant. Some had attended prep schools and intense summer programs. I did worry that I couldn’t keep up. Nonetheless, MIT had many support programs, and I was very successful.
My advice would be to pick a school that has programs that support incoming students, such as tutoring or career guidance. It also helps if the campus has organizations that you want to join. In college I was part of La Union Chicana por Aztlan (LUChA, the Mexican American students association) and the Tech Catholic Community. Those groups became extended families for me.
ML: Are you willing to share a personal college/work related experience that exemplified how sometime leaving the comfort of the known can lead to more liberating experience?
CS: I moved to San Francisco in 2005 for a job at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. I missed my family very much. However, in San Francisco I acquired professional experience that would have been difficult to attain in San Antonio.
I have a master’s in atmospheric modeling from Stanford University where I focused on climate change. In my San Francisco job I was able to apply my technical skills and my studies in climate change as the company was in the process of launching a climate change program. I was quickly promoted two levels, later became a manager in communications, and finally the chief of staff. I don’t know that I would have been able to achieve that professional mobility here in San Antonio, simply because air quality and climate change were not priorities here. Sometimes, you need to find the opportunities where they are.
Nonetheless, my goal was always to return to San Antonio to make a better place. So now that I am home, and I can apply the lessons I’ve learned in other places.
ML: Finally, what is a piece of advice you think any girl our age -sixth graders to seniors- can learn from? Any advice that they should carry with them through their academic career?
CS: No matter what is on your plate, you should always prioritize sleeping well, eating well, and exercise. All of these help your brain, keep you healthy, and help you live longer. You can’t be a success without these important habits!