Meet Carmen Villaseñor Santiago | Director of Enterprise Apps | Book and Travel Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carmen Villaseñor Santiago and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carmen, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I would say I am heavily inspired by the people around me, I think the circle you surround yourself with truly makes an impact on your life and who you are as a person. I’m very lucky to have found an amazing group of friends that have seen me growth over the last three decades of my life and have stood by me through the ups and the downs life throws at you. You never want to be the smartest person in the room, and I learn from my loved ones on a daily basis, not only professionally but also on a personal level on how to better myself and keep learning and growing to achieve more.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve followed a pretty traditional route into the professional career I currently have – go to university (go Trojans!) and graduate to get a good “9-5”. I do believe that as a first-generation Latina woman, I don’t take the sacrifices my parents made for me by coming to the U.S. for granted and because of that I put a lot of pressure on myself as to failure not being an option. Being a POC in the tech world wasn’t easy from the beginning but through the community of successful, beautiful and intelligent women I am able to call friends I have learned the courage to speak up for myself in order to move up in the ‘corporate ladder’ to the established Director role I now have at my company.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Now this is my favorite type of question! I am a firm believer that west side of LA is the best side (I know, I know I’m biased but still). A full week itinerary would include making sure we touch the north and south of LA with a day dedicated to Malibu, not only the beaches but grabbing food at Malibu Cafe and even some oysters at some of the amazing seafood ocean facing locations along the coast. No week would be complete without some hikes with the beautiful mountain and ocean views, so another day dedicated to that as well as to some wellness experiences (it is LA after all) like pause studio, den mother, a massage or restore wellness to combat the soreness from the hike. Among some of the restaurants we’d have to go to: Uovo, Kazu Nori, In n Out, Sogna Toscana, Alfred’s Coffee, Little Sister. For some fun drinks around town, I love a good wine bar and some of my all time favorites are: Bodega Wine Bar, 401k Bar, Kustaa. Can’t forget to do some sort of activity, I would take them to do a pottery class or some sort of clay painting around the city! I love the way you can never truly run out of things to do in Los Angeles and the people truly make it feel alive.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to all those people around me that have shaped me into who I am over the last thirty years. Life isn’t always easy and it’s filled with change, which can be beautiful but daunting and having amazing friends and a supportive partner has made all the difference in learning and growing. I grew up as an only child and therefore loved reading books, Matilda by Roald Dahl (and the movie) have always been a huge inspiration for me as a reader to know that you are never truly alone, whether it’s through the words and adventures of others but also through the community you build for yourself.

Website: https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/carmen-villase%C3%B1or

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenvillasenor/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/bookswithgrace/
https://www.instagram.com/nextstopcarmen/#