My Story

Get your popcorn🍿 ready because this is a lengthy read, but it's what's made me who I am today.

I’ve had a passion for programming since middle school, thanks to Roblox. I spent hours playing, and one day, I wondered what it would be like to create my own game. That curiosity ignited my love for coding.

In high school, I didn’t do much programming beyond creating small games on Roblox, but everything changed when COVID hit. I had never worked a real 9-5 job before, but due to financial difficulties, I took a job as a courtesy clerk at Vallarta Supermarkets. This is where my journey of mental strength truly began. With limited options outside of work, I turned to social media and YouTube but soon discovered people like Wim Hof with his insane cold exposure training, David Goggins with unmatched mental toughness, and Simon Sinek with leadership wisdom. Animes like Black Clover, Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball Z, and My Hero Academia also played a big role, motivating me to adopt that anime-like discipline and resilience. My personal development journey kicked off in January 2021, a month I remember well because I consider it the start of my "second life." As the Confucius once said, "We all have two lives, the second one starts when we realize we only have one."

I worked at Vallarta as a courtesy clerk for about a month before being promoted to the Deli. My drive to excel, fueled by my dad's advice—"It doesn't matter if your job is to clean the street, you make sure that's the cleanest street in the world"—pushed me to be the best at what I did. My hard work didn’t go unnoticed; my manager once told me it felt like he had five people working with him whenever I was on shift. However, by October 2021, juggling school and work became overwhelming. I decided to put in my two weeks' notice, determined to focus on school. But just before my notice was up, my manager, Saul, convinced me to stay with the promise of a flexible schedule. This new privilege helped, but I still felt I wasn’t progressing toward my ultimate goal of working in Computer Engineering.

The next chapter of my life marked another major level-up. During a conversation with our Deli supervisor, Danny, I shared my aspirations to work in a field related to computers. He mentioned the IT department at Vallarta, and I was surprised—I hadn’t even considered that a grocery store would have such a department. My excitement grew, and I started telling everyone in higher positions about my interest. Eventually, my store director, Javi, handed me the contact number for Vallarta’s Director of IT. Nervous but determined, I made the call to express my interest and inquire about a potential job interview. The rest, as they say, is history.

I’ve now been a programmer with Vallarta Supermarkets Corporate for about three years. Throughout my journey, I’ve learned the importance of doing your best in everything, because as I often tell others, "How you do one thing is how you do everything." You never know when that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will present itself, and it’s crucial to always be ready.

There's also one last piece of advice from my dad that has been pivotal in my journey: "Train your mind more than your body, because your body has limits, but your mind does not." I share this with you so that you can embark on a journey of self-mastery as well. This is your life, your body, your mind. You only have one. Why not see who you can become? Why not test the limits of who you are? Your potential is unknown, and only you can figure it out. It's time to start today—I believe in you.