Karla Averanga presenting her professional Journey to students with President Asly Mendoza and Membership & Outreach Officer Sarahi Berlanga, Thursday at the Student Academic Center on the Edinburg campus. Celeste Cruz / Vaquero Radio
The Side Hustle Society hosted a casual networking event Thursday with a guest Alumna who shared with students her professional journey.
Office for Sustainability Multi-media specialist and UTRGV alumna Karla Averanga shared with the students her professional journey in the event.
Averanga has worked in different fields, working overseas in New Zealand and Australia starting as a juicer at a juicery store, waitress, and house cleaner.
When she came back to the Valley, she focused on her career as a pharmacy technician working at Walgreens and hospitals in the Valley.
Averanga soon switched careers into the communication field.
”I ended up working as a communications assistant at UMC( University Marketing and Communications) and then became a content writer at OFS (Office for Sustainability), and that was the point that really changed my trajectory,”Averanga said.
She said students should find motivation by putting their heart and soul into something they love.
“It’s gonna take you far more than you know,” Averanga said.
Officer of Side Hustle Society Seth Vega, said it is important to feature alumni because it helps inspire students.
“It kind of paints this picture for students that like ‘hey this person is a graduate of this university that I am currently attending, I know that I can get to their shoes.”
Finance senior Guillermo Guerrero who attended the event shared his challenges he faces in the vending machine business.
“I faced rejection as far as putting myself out there and trying to sell myself as to what I offer,” Guerrero said.
Averanga said creating a friendship can help build a meaningful professional relationship.
“Then you realize I can help this person or this person can help me, creating that level of friendship is really something that I feel like is important,” she said.
For more information about the Side Hustle Society visit its Instagram at @utrgv_shs.
