Tell us about your career path.
Why did you choose a STEM profession?
Was your interest in STEM encouraged?
-In 2012 I went to Madrid because it was one of the few places where you could study the official university studies in video games.
When I graduated, I felt I knew a little about every specialty of creating a video game, but I didn’t specialize myself in anything, so through other masters I focused on the artistic part.
In one of those years, I took the opportunity to get my Master’s degree in teaching. Currently, I am finishing one of my most ambitious projects this year while I am teaching interactive environments and animation courses.
– I never thought a lot about the reasons why I chose STEM: I just wanted to study in a place where I could learn how to create video games, and I was requested some knowledge in fine arts, writing, mathematics, physics, programming… So more than choosing a STEM profession I simply realized that STEM was the path to do what I really love.
-The truth is that I actually received all the support from my family to study what really fascinated me, they even encouraged me to start a second degree also in STEM.
How was your university experience? Do you have any memorable experiences to share?
My experience at University, even if it was difficult at some points, was the one of the best in my whole life so far. During this period, I learned things that I didn’t even know they existed. I became a much more open-minded person, I met people who were really inspiring to me for my career and who shaped the professional and the teacher that I became.
My main memorable experience to share goes back to my freshman year, when I entered that class. Although I was a girl who liked video games, I always played a one single player games, so I was pretty much disconnected from other gamers. It was when I entered the class when I saw the reality: of 30 students there were only girls… I even thought for a moment that I had been confused about the class, but I didn’t.
Where do you work?
What would you do during a typical day at work? What do you enjoy most about your job?
– I currently work as a VET teacher in 3D Animation programmes.
– I have two different types of days at work: one is the one where that day I do not teach, but I take the opportunity to correct the tasks, study the curriculum, organize the material, do some research… The days when I teach are my favorite, because I interact with my students, which is definitely what I enjoy the most about my job. I always try to have a very interactive methodological approach, making my students participate as much as possible in class. I ask them questions, give them clues so that they arrive at the answer by themselves, doing activities that they put into practice… Usually this makes the classes quite dynamic and entertaining for everyone.
What are your plans and aspirations for the future?
My plan is to continue on the path of education, since it is one of my passions to be able to share my knowledge with others to make them great professionals, while I learn myself from them and continue researching and studying everything around the field of video games, 3D, 2D …
What do you like to do outside of work? What are your passions and hobbies?
– When I am not working, I like reading. I especially enjoy light novels, but when I do not feel like immersing myself in fantasy I always like to keep myself updated with the latest news in the field of video games or some new implementation in Unity, Blender, Maya, Unreal ..
– I have quite a few activities that I like to do, apart from 3D, such as playing video games (especially JRPG), gardening, sewing, crafts in general (hama, origami, nanoblock …) Even when I have a little more free time, I love pastry!
What advice would you give to other young girls and women who plan to pursue a STEM career?
I honestly cannot speak for all of the STEM majors out there, however, in my field, I really field that the atmosphere is quite good, and there was always a lot of camaraderie, so, my main advice would be to enjoy your career from the very beginning and make new friends, network and learn as much as you can all the time.