Mariana Valdez Velarca

Soil scientist, agriculture lover and environmental engineer. I am a Master's student in Soil Science at Texas A&M, graduating in August 2016. But before I became a student once more, I was a certification consultant at CIVITA - an engineering consultancy firm that certifies green buildings in Guadalajara, Mexico. My time at CIVITA armed me with tools that proved invaluable at graduate school, and my future professional life: - Project and time management - Ability to negotiate between people with opposite interests - Facility to work with an interdisciplinary team of professionals towards a common goal - Task prioritization - Creating clear and concise reports - Improve internal processes by developing protocols for new employees to follow, etc. In the past year and a half, I have dedicated myself to the student life: student organizations, homework, research, thesis and reading. A lot of reading. I was able to study at Texas A&M because I was awarded and Excellence Fellowship from the Soil and Crop Sciences department, as well as a position as Research Assistant in an organic rice project. This experience has given me a set of skills I didn't have before; now I excel at: - Interpreting scientific data and applying it to an everyday project - Getting people involved in a project as soon as the jump on board, and explaining why their part is important in the bigger picture - Observing and listening to what is said (and what's omitted) in meetings in order to understand the primary issues to address and tasks to tackle - Coordinating and generating work plans for people with variable schedules. I like to make the people I work with to feel comfortable and motivated. I believe that a cordial environment helps everyone to keep focused on the goals and allows that the results are reached faster. Soon I will be done with my studies, and I'm looking for a company in which I put to use my talents while pursuing my passion for soils and agriculture.