29 years old • Fort Collins
Director of training and employee support at Blue Federal Credit Union
What’s your occupation? Explain your career, accomplishments and professional highlights.
I serve as the director of training and employee support at Blue Federal Credit Union. My role and departments focus on a year-long onboarding program for new hires, providing daily guidance and resources and enhancing staff skills through continuous learning. My experience and history include various roles within Blue, such as retail operations, banking, lending and branch management. I have managed four branches in two Colorado regions. Key achievements include receiving the HOPE award from the Mountain West Credit Union Association, supporting the opening of a new branch and creating a new department from the ground up.
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
I was born in Estes Park and have lived in Northern Colorado my whole life. From an early age, I was compelled to actualize my potential, grasping every educational opportunity presented and dedicating myself to altruism, resiliency, humility and professionalism. My 20s were spent developing my career with Blue, and I obtained two degrees with an adapted format to fit a full-time working schedule. My concurrent experiences of work and education allowed me to gain relevant knowledge in an ever-evolving environment.
Tell us something unique about you.
I have the privilege of being a mother to my two-year-old identical twins. My sons are natural monozygotic-diamniotic twins, occurring in about one in 500 pregnancies. Their birth was an overwhelming surprise, bringing exclusive challenges and enormous love. Additionally, I am a bird of prey enthusiast. I have engaged with the Colorado Hawking Club to prepare for a future falconry license, and I volunteer at outreach events for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
My biggest accomplishment is securing my bachelor’s degree in human resource management with magna cum laude honors. I started my collegiate journey with concurrent enrollment at Front Range Community College during high school, then transferred to a four-year university. I became the first in my immediate family to obtain a bachelor’s degree, all while building a successful career with a company I love, balancing the pressures of life and graduating at the top of my class while pregnant with twins.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
Planning the future isn’t always easy, so I seek to live presently with gratitude. In 5 years, I envision a healthy work-life balance with more family travel, showing my sons the world’s beauty. In 10 years, I aim to be a part of Blue’s executive leadership team. Each day along the way, I strive to inspire acceptance and empowerment in those around me as a trusted leader and friend.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
My advice is that rumination does not always lead to positive solutions. In my youth, my cognitive functions were overly extreme when it came to careful decision making. Overthinking possible risks of scenarios caused bouts of intense anxiety. Do not let perceived risks distract you from progress. Failure is a sign you have acted, and actions are proof of perseverance.
How do you balance all of your roles?
Adaptation, paired with flexibility, rationalization and gratitude, is the key to balancing my roles as a friend, wife, mother of 2-year-old twins, leader at Blue Federal Credit Union and volunteer with the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. This requires staying honest with myself and others when I must retreat from one area or give more to another. I try my best to verbally acknowledge three things I’m grateful for every day, from small tasks to deeper reflections. I also spend time writing poetry, doing crafts, adventuring and staying playful, all things that support my mental health while maintaining high performance in multiple roles.
Where did your interest in birds of prey come from, and why do you want to become a falconer?
I have always been drawn to the magnificence of birds of prey. The features, behaviors and flight patterns of raptors can be subtly different from one another, making it a fun challenge to identify them in the wild. Their fierce reputations, allure and independence resonate with me; watching birds of prey offers me a peace I do not find anywhere else. The sport of falconry is appealing to me because of its ancient history and the partnership that forms between a raptor and the falconer. It’s a form of hunting where the falconer trusts the innate hunting instincts of the bird. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to become a falconer, so it is my hope to become one when I have more personal time and space to enjoy it.
