By day, Vanessa Cosio works in the information technology/online media industry.
By night (and really most other days), she's actively involved in the region she lives in.
Cosio, 29, has used her IT skills to serve various campaigns and nonprofit organizations including San Diego Democratic Club, Young Professionals Council, Alliance for a Better CA and GayDiego.com.
"I wanted to work in Information Technology/Online Media because the field is continually evolving and as a result it is always exciting and engaging," she said. "Technology isn’t going away. It’s used in so many ways and in almost every industry. Also, I saw the opportunity to use my technological skills as a way to have a positive impact on my community."
Cosio, who said her biggest accomplishment has been the ability "to live every single year of my life the way I wanted to," said she hopes to continue to grow in her career while fighting for causes she believes in.
Advice for young people:
- Be humble—the opportunities you have now are because of the hard work of people before you. You will never know all their names or how much they sacrificed.
- Be awesome—the only limitation you have on how great you can be is you.
- Be proud—age is just a number. No matter what that number is, you always have something to bring to the table.
- Be a role model—believe in this quote: "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
