Find Your Spot

She landed on Healthcare Administration through the School of Health Professions and transitioned to a 20-year career in health care. This was after receiving bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, a short stint in marketing and communications, and adjunct teaching. Now, she has found the right place in health care through her work with the UT Health Houston School of Public Health in El Paso, Texas.

“I will disclose to my students that I suffered for along time with something called imposter syndrome and a lot of times people would come and ask me for advice,” Raya says. “I would say no for a long time early in my career and say, ‘I’m nobody, I have nothing.’”

Through admitting her own vulnerabilities Raya found she was able to identify areas of growth in others. That is how she came to become a certified career coach. Raya now coaches her students and private clients to go beyond what they learned in a classroom and apply it to real-world career moves.

Some of those tips are simple: network and join professional organizations to display translatable skills in front of those who may need services one day. There are also some people who need reminders about their career passions. It is something she has recently noticed in a lot of her university students.

“As a health care leader your heart has to be in the right place,” she says. “Ultimately, you’re interested in touching the lives of patients through the fact that you care about the physicians and providers on your team.”