ISDI Student Spotlight ft. Elizabeth Vasquez
In this weekly series, we’ll be highlighting the student journeys and accomplishments of our future leaders in digital business.
This week features a community-driven digital marketer, whose passion for advocating for those whose voices are less heard, crossed with a love for digital brought her to the Master’s of Internet Business program at ISDI. Here’s some fun facts about Elizabeth!
1. Tell us a little bit about your background and why you decided to make ISDI a part of your journey?
I always knew school was important, my parents are immigrants from Mexico and they always told me if you go to college you’ve made it. It was in college that I decided getting a Master’s and PhD was something I definitely wanted to pursue.
English was always my thing and my major in college because I’m a lover of reading and print, but I took a media and writing class where you built print things online like business cards, blogs, ebooks, online magazines etc. and I thought, “This is great, I can do what I love not just for traditional print but for digital media too.”
I was looking for a Master’s program around digital marketing or content around the same time I learned about ISDI and once I learned about the curriculum and the speakers it was an easy decision to make.
2. If your friends and family had to use 3 words to describe you what would they be?
Smart, Independent, Driven/Motivated
3. What is your proudest work accomplishment? Life accomplishment?
Work: I work at Modern Luxury Silicon Valley Magazine and throwing our annual “Best of Silicon Valley event” was probably one of my proudest moments. Our magazine is dedicated to the best in businesses, technology, and lifestyle in Silicon Valley and we throw a huge party for the winners and other influential people of the valley and just have a really great time. Hearing the positive feedback from everyone saying it was such a stand-out event and having that feeling of accomplishment was great.
Life: Being a good example to my younger siblings. I had to learn the ropes and figure things out on my own in this country as my parents were also figuring things out after they immigrated. I hope to make my siblings (ages 22, 19 and 15) lives a little easier by teaching them the lessons I’ve learned.
4. What is a surprising fact not many people know about you or something you wish more people knew about you?
I was politically involved when I lived in Santa Barbara and still am now living here in San Jose. I’ve worked at a Labor Union, immigration groups, community outreach programs, and more. I also do as much work as I can for women of color and women going through the justice system. I used to be a legal clerk working for the immigration attorney and have volunteered at the Office of Women’s policy in San Jose. I used to visit an all women’s jail once a month and ask the women if they were receiving the proper resources such as adequate legal counsel, hygiene products, and more. I am also very proud to be a member of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley.
5. If you had to write a book about something, and you knew it would be an all time best seller (as in this message would be seen by millions of people) what would it be and why?
I would want to write a book about Latinas in technology, its books like this that I look for when I’m trying to find a good read. It’d be my take on these two different categories — it would resonate with me and bring my two worlds together.
6. If you decided to start a business tomorrow what would it be and why?
I would want to start a non-profit — an organization around Latinas and technology as well. Something that would host networking events, community building, and resources for Latina women working their way up in the technology field.
7. What is a product, service, company, book, or activity you WOM (word of mouth) advertise all the time to family and friends?
I’ve recently been telling people about a book called Writing my Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison. It is about a young African American man who went through the justice system, speaks on how the justice system does not work for people of color, and a lot of other powerful perspectives not often told. In jail, he learned how to read, learned his rights how to present himself in court, presented his case to the board, and won his appeal and his freedom. Since passionate about the parallels of people of color and the justice system it’s a book I always recommend to people.
8. Give us a digital tip or trick you’ve learned at ISDI!
I’ve been telling people how precise you can get with targeting when it comes to Facebook and Instagram advertisement.
Thanks for joining us on our Student Spotlight Series! For more ISDI blog posts written by our amazing students and our esteemed academic board, check them out at our ISDI Blog here.
