Planting the Seeds of Equity: How Viridiana Quintana’s Roots Lead to Career in Community Engagement
Many pursue a business degree in hopes to open doors in the corporate world, gaining skills in negotiation, financial management, and business law to be used for personal or commercial financial gain. In the case of Viridiana Quintana ’19, these skills were learned and applied for a unique type of gain outside of her own benefit, but rather for the community.
Raised in Ventura County in a low-income agricultural town filled with working immigrant families striving to live the “American Dream”, Viri was surrounded by a built-in support system. Motivated by the promise to one day be able to give back to their families through their own achievements, all of her friends worked hard studying together, reviewing each other’s college applications and encouraging one another in their pursuit of academic success.
“I feel like where I came from definitely contributed to where and who I am now,” she proudly stated.
When leaving home and coming to the University of San Diego, she was determined to obtain a degree in business but knew she wouldn’t be able to do so if she lost hold of her roots. In pursuit of a similar level of support as her hometown she joined two student organizations, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A.) whose goal is to incorporate the political, cultural and educational aspects of their communities into the University of San Diego and Folklorico and Mariachi Association (FAMA) who works to educate others on the diversity of the Mexican culture through dance and music performance.
“Once I got more involved with M.E.Ch.A and FAMA, I realized that I didn't want to sacrifice my values. I told myself I would find a career path that upholds both my interests and passions, combining business with community and impact-driven work.”
Through her participation in cultural organizations on campus, Viri felt connected to not only her roots but her spirit of activism as well. The moment that finally illuminated her passion for community engagement was at a school of business networking event where she was offered an internship working at a local non-profit, the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association. During her time there she was a community outreach specialist, visiting businesses by foot and offering help or even just making them aware that they had resources available if needed.
Working with small businesses during the internship was the driving force behind her desire to work on economic development in local communities. “It really opened my eyes to what challenges small businesses go through. A lot of them are family-owned or immigrant-owned and they’re just trying to turn their passion into a business, but that technical part with contracts and legal processes can make it a challenge.”
When discussing the ways in which her education assisted on her path to a career in community engagement Viri expressed, “there was a lot I was able to leverage from my education at the time. I was very intentional about the classes that I was taking, so I took a few business ethics classes and it was also helpful that my professors were very mindful of business for good.”
After graduating from the Knauss School of Business in 2019 with her degree in International Business and minor in Spanish and Business Administration, Viri worked at the University of San Diego for two years. Continuing to get experience in local community engagement she worked at the Karen and Tom Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action as a liaison between Access Inc., a local non-profit organization, and the University of San Diego on procurement efforts to get more small businesses on campus. “Getting that experience really contributed to my career,” she said.
Her current role is now working for the City of San Diego in the Economic Development Department as a Small Business Support Specialist. Her day-to-day consists of working one-on-one with local businesses navigating through city processes and permits while also partnering with non-profit organizations, including the very one she was an intern for during her college career. By staying true to her roots and combining her education with a passion for social impact, she found a way to use her expertise to support the local community.
“When I’m out in the community working one-on-one with businesses, many of them remind me of my own family. And when they thank me for my assistance in a small task like translating a document… just hearing that doing something so small can be so impactful, it reminds me why I do it.”
— Jessica Applonie