Edgar Cerecerez

Afraid of my ego – I am a quick learner and I feel I can accomplish anything. But I worry that my healthy ego will become uncontrolled. That’s why I make it a point to always listen to my peers, especially when it comes to constructive criticism. I am not afraid of admitting I’m wrong, I just worry that someone won’t tell me.

Lifelong learner – I read daily, and I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty. I read the newspaper, business books, and the Harvard Business Review. Over the summer I learned to code just because I wanted to update my work’s website.

Working with teams - I learned to lead a team of people twice my age by working in fast food chains at age sixteen. In my first supervisory role, my team hated me. They eventually thought me how to lead them (instead of managing them). I had to let them do their work and trust them, communicate often, and help them when they needed help. Now I can happily say I've led every single project I had in college.

Dealing with escalated clients - At age sixteen I worked in a bulletproof glass KFC. Once, a client was so upset that she threw her chicken wings at me. I admitted responsibility, made it right, and listened to her. I knew then that if I could deal with a situation like that I could deal with anything else and it still holds true.

Public speaking – While finishing college I worked as a student assistant at a non-profit that helps small businesses and start-ups. I instruct workshops weekly. I found that the best way to teach is to incorporate stories into my workshops and that half the learning is what the students learn from each other.