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Women's History Month: meet Betty Quesada, Project Manager at Safran Cabin
Based in Everett, US, Betty Quesada is Project Manager at Safran Cabin - NAT for 1 year. Previously, she hosted different positions at Safran for 8.5 years.
Which woman inspires you most?
The women that jumps immediately to my mind is definitely my mom, she is a lawyer, wife and mother that is and has always been true to herself and puts all her heart in everything she does.
I also need to give a shout – out to Marina Pisker, VP of Program Management at NAT, she’s like an octopus! Her multitasking abilities are inspiring, her ability to manage all what she is responsible for while keeping a smile in her face is quite outstanding.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate Women’s Day / Women’s History Month?
It is a date to celebrate all women’s achievements in all fields; to commemorate all those women who have fought and keep fighting for equal rights. It is a date to give yourself a pat on the back and a small push while looking towards the next glass ceiling to go through.
“It is a date to give yourself a pat on the back and a small push while looking towards the next glass ceiling to go through”
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
The ability to touch and overlook the full life cycle of a program. The possibility of seeing and experience every stage of a program while interface with all departments, customers and suppliers.
What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
Starting over, that has been the biggest challenge! I stopped working; put my career on hold for a while. It was a team strategic decision at the time, and by team I mean my family, and while it was a decision in my case, not all women are fortunate enough to call it such, it is sometimes not an option or the only option (something to reflect this March 8th).
Having a gap in your career makes it quite difficult to find an opportunity back, you get easily disregarded by it, like the experience you had have is suddenly not existent.
How I overcome it? I saw NAT’s job posting and decided that is what I wanted, I put all of my eggs in one basket and thankfully, I was given the opportunity. I started day one with all a lot of excitement and willingness to learn and succeed.
“Having a gap in your career makes it quite difficult to find an opportunity back (…) How I overcome it? I saw NAT’s job posting and decided that is what I wanted”
What are your three tips for young women starting out in the industry?
- Speak up, speak your mind, and never be afraid to do so.
- Attitude, attitude (a positive one) is already 80% of the job (an expression I heard and learn to be true when I started working)
- Listen, learn and know you are capable
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