What most people know about me
What most people know about me is that I had a successful corporate career at a leading aerospace and software company.
I held multiple roles in Finance, Business Operations, Strategic Integration, Project Management and HR.
I was a strategic thinker who had out-of-the-box ideas and challenged the status quo in every conversation to create progress and achieve our company’s mission.
I stood out because of my passion in emotional and communication intelligence.
What I don’t want you to know about me
What I don't want you to know about me is my journey that led me to this seemingly “normal” life. I grew up in Romania and I am Hungarian. As a minority I understood at an early age that not everyone was treated equally and that I would not have the same opportunities as others in life. Despite being poor, my parents supported me in going to college instead of getting a job right after high school. I longed for an education that wasn’t filled with corruption and wasn’t dependent on how thick my parents’ wallet was. After a year I interrupted my studies to work in Germany and learn the language. I was studying German and English at the University but I felt I was learning less than in high school. It seemed like a smart idea to live where I could learn the language for real.
After I returned home from Germany, I was talking about my experience to my friend who was working in the U.S.A. When she said “Okay, you have visited Cristina, now it’s time to come and visit me.”, I thought she was joking. So I replied “Sure, just find me a job, send me the paperwork and I will come visit you.” Well, what I did not know was that she wasn’t joking. She was working in HR as the recruiting manager and within weeks she found me a job, sent me the paperwork, and I was at the biggest decision point in my life. Do I leave again in 4 months?
Of course, I did! When life gives you an opportunity to do what you want (for me was to learn English) you take it. And I did. I arrived in the U.S.A. with a large backpack and $100. The first day I arrived my husband fell in love with me, and we built our life from having not much into a successful and happy family life. We struggled together, moved many times, had two kids and believed we could achieve anything we wanted together. To my mother’s disappointment, I decided to stay here and follow my dreams.
My ideas and continuous new perspectives brought value to my team and leaders, and I was respected for my knowledge, skills, and creativity.
Yet, at the basis of my success was my self-motivating work ethic (inherited from my grandma and mom), and my belief in myself and others’ potential.
At an early age I discovered that in order to go far I could not only rely on my own strengths, I also had to learn to ask for help.