This month we catch up with Tasha (Camacho) Cardenas as she shares her journey which landed her in the Marketing field, and how the teachers at St. John’s helped prepare her for success in college and in her career.
What year did you graduate from St. John’s School?
1998
What did you do in the year following HS Graduation?
I attended University of California at Santa Cruz
Can you tell us about the career path you chose after college?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a career “path” but rather career “journey”. I fell into the bucket of people who didn’t quite know exactly what I wanted to do when I got out of college. I had been working for Clinique during college for some extra money and found myself really great at what I was doing. I managed the biggest account on the West Coast and enjoyed what I was doing. As I spent time doing that, learning different skill sets in retail and learning some lessons in management I decided I wanted to see what the corporate world had to offer. I landed a sales role in the technology field and after a few short months found myself doing really well there as well. After several years of sales experience I found myself wondering what marketing would be like. I’d taken a couple courses in marketing during college and wanted to see if it was something I could do. I was given an opportunity to explore that part of business as well as use my sales background. After a couple years in that role I found myself gravitating towards an operations role. I worked for SuccessFactors in Marketing Operations and did extremely well there managing our marketing automation software and then made the transition over to LinkedIn and now am leading a team.
What do you love most about your job?
I enjoy what I do on a day to day, but what I love most is my team and culture of our company. Our team is the most hard working team I know, but we also really know how to have fun. The team I work with are so passionate about their work; they are the funniest people I’ve had the opportunity to work with and truly enjoy the day to day. Our company offers us so many opportunities on so many different levels. We have the opportunity to participate in volunteer work, we get the opportunity to hear from top executives in the bay area speak on our campus, we have the ability to take classes to expand our skill set and we are a culture of transformation – being able to take on a role and learn a completely different skill set.
Outside of work, what other activities/organizations are you involved in and why?
As of right now outside of work I’m really focused on my family time. My son is now almost 1 year and my husband and I are 100% focused on him. We try to get out on the weekends to enjoy the California weather whether it’s going on a hike, a walk to the park or a day trip to the beach in Monterey or Carmel. Before kids we were a very outdoorsy couple – camping, hiking just taking time to explore the world around us. I imagine we will continue to introduce our children to those activities once they are old enough.
Do you still keep in touch with your St. John’s School friends?
Oh yes. As busy as all of our lives can be on a day to day I’ve made some of the best friends I’ll ever have in high school. We will chat from time to time and visit each other when in the area but when we do see or talk to each other it’s as if no time has ever gone by.
How has attending St. John’s prepared you for success in college and in the workplace?
The teachers I had throughout my time at St. John’s I would say are the biggest influence that has helped me along the way throughout college and in my career. “Shep”, Mr. Kelley, Mrs. Hull, Mr. Pearson, Mrs. Siegrist….just to name a few. They really pushed me to be the best I can be, to work hard and never settle. I struggled with academics at times. I was good at some things and others I was not so great at. All my teachers pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. They believed in me and put time in with me to help me excel.What experiences from High School are the most memorable?It’s so hard to choose :). Our volleyball team of course!!! Our spring fest concert, proms, lunches, our marine science class trip, the 5K run. All those experiences left an imprint in my memory…mostly because of the people I got to experience those things with.Anything else you would like to add ?Always work hard in high school – it really does make a difference. Take the time to really enjoy being a kid. Participate in as much as you can in high school to build on those memories and discover who you are and what you are capable of.
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St. John's School, Guam 