Ask Luana about the last year and her transition back to education and career planning, and she’s quick to call it a “crazy roller coaster ride.” But it’s a ride and experience she wouldn’t trade. 

It’s also a journey she’s proud her two young daughters are seeing firsthand. Luana said she hasn’t always been sure where starting courses with Calbright would lead her or if she should pursue leadership opportunities with Calbright’s student government and a tech internship. But showing her daughters what doors can open up and what is possible when you say “yes!” has driven her to continue her education and improve her family’s quality of life.

“I want my daughters to see there are a lot of opportunities out there when you put the effort in and put yourself out there. There is a lot we can achieve if we study and get an education, and have a community of support,” she said.

Luana says she didn’t imagine being drawn to the fast-paced world of technology when she first chose a skills-based program with Calbright. Living in Silicon Valley, she often wondered if the tech industry was a place for someone like her – a parent and first-generation immigrant. Yet, after learning about Calbright from her local library and seeing how the College’s online, flexibly paced and skill-focused programs could fit with her life, she embraced the challenge.

She dove into the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platform Administration program, and quickly found her notions about technology being too hard and out of reach for her were eased by a community of Calbright faculty, staff, and peers who were quick to lend support with course work and study sessions. And while Luana has completed class work quicker than she expected, the flexibility has been vital so she never has to choose between family and school.

“If it wasn’t for the program being free, and if it wasn’t for the flexibility to raise my children, I couldn’t do this,” she said. “I really enjoy the opportunities to huddle and study with friends I’ve never met in person. Calbright has a very strong community.”

Beyond her CRM courses, Luana found a vital community in student leadership, currently serving as the vice president of Associated Students of Calbright College (ASCC). This role provides a valuable way to put work-based skills like communication, collaboration, public speaking, and project management into practice with other Calbright peers interested in developing their leadership skills. She spearheaded projects like the BrightStars award – a recognition of Calbright students by their peers who demonstrate organizational and team-building skills. 

Luana says she’s also recognized how her confidence has grown since joining the Calbright community, and she’s leveraged her skills into supporting other immigrant parents navigating California’s K-12 school system and leading efforts for her daughters’ Parent Teacher Association – commonly known as PTA.

“When you have to work in another language, another way of life, you’ve already worked two times harder. That’s really shown me as immigrants and moms, we have value too, and we have value everywhere, including in the tech industry,” she said. 

Her commitment to saying “yes” and “trying everything” recently led her to a micro-internship under a partnership between Calbright and HubSpot, focusing on the marketing and AI aspects of CRM. This experience also led to an invitation to the INBOUND conference, hosted by HubSpot in San Francisco, bringing together leaders in tech, marketing, and customer success. 

Luana said attending INBOUND was invaluable, offering greater insights and networking into the professional world she hopes to secure a job in. She spent three days attending sessions on everything from email marketing to AI ethics, and listened to inspiring speakers like author Glennon Doyle.

“It was so nice to be inside, with people who are in their careers. I got a lot of good connections,” Luana said. 

Luana now sees that her education and career journey, like so many students at Calbright, is wide ranging and the many skills she gained in just the last year are adaptable and applicable in many spaces. And, like her, that’s valuable in today’s workforce.