Career Success Story: Meet Eva Cardenas

New, Restless Mom Seeking Career

First, let’s back up a bit. After Eva graduated from high school, she started college classes. She had her sights set on a degree, but when she got married and had her first baby, completing her education become much more complicated. “It wasn’t easy for me to be a housewife, a mother to a brand-new baby,” remembers Eva. “I was alone in California where I didn’t have family, so it wasn’t like I could just have someone babysit my daughter while I went to school for a few hours.”

“I want to be someone in this world … I want to be an example for my daughter.” – Eva Cardenas, CareerStep learner

Prior to having a baby, Eva enjoyed a fast-paced lifestyle, and although she loved being a mom to her new daughter, she wanted to do more. “I want to be someone in this world, do something, go out there and talk to people, not just stay home cooking and cleaning and changing diapers,” says Eva. “I want to be an example for my daughter.” Eager to resume her education, Eva started researching flexible education options and quickly chanced upon CareerStep.

“At first, I was skeptical about signing up because I had never taken an online course and had a one-month-old baby,” says Eva. She took a chance anyway and gave CareerStep a call.

“CareerStep honestly made it really easy for me to get started.”

Eva’s skepticism quickly vanished. “CareerStep honestly made it really easy for me,” says Eva. The academic advisor she spoke to walked her through every step of the process of signing up. He answered all her questions, helped her finalize her application, and even helped Eva apply for the MyCAA grant, a government grant for spouses of active-duty military members. The grant paid $4,000 for Eva’s coursework. Getting started with CareerStep’s medical administrative assistant training was an incredibly easy process for Eva—so easy, in fact, that she did it without her husband knowing.

“Everything sounded so great that I just jumped in and signed up one day before my husband even got home from work.” – –Eva Cardenas, completed CareerStep’s training program with honors

“Everything sounded so great that I just jumped in and signed up one day before my husband even got home from work,” she remembers. For Eva, there was no going back. “Whenever I put something in my head, there’s nothing that can stop me,” she says. Although her husband was taken aback at first, Eva says he loves what she has accomplished now.

Doing The Right Thing—For Her Family And Her Career

When Eva first applied to her current position at Health Link, it was only supposed to be temporary. She was meant to cover another employee’s maternity leave. That’s it. But when that other employee came back, the company realized they liked Eva’s work ethic and abilities so much they didn’t want to let her go. The other employee received a new position, and Eva kept the job of medical receptionist/administrator. Eva didn’t just prove herself irreplaceable—she earned the trust and respect of her manager and company and was rewarded for it. “Eva is very detail-oriented, efficient, professional, and communicative,” says Alejandra Romanillo, Eva’s manager. “As a new employee, Eva was eager to learn and took a lot of initiative in wanting to learn more.” Just a year after starting the position, in January 2016, Eva was promoted to medical coordinator, an important client-facing role in the company. She’s proud that she’s moved up in the company so quickly.

Eva’s job has not come without its challenges. “When I first started working,” Eva says, “it was a challenge deciding to leave the baby at a daycare.” She told her husband she didn’t want to stay at home her whole life—she couldn’t—and together, Eva and her husband decided they were making the right choice for their family. With her husband’s support, Eva started worked full-time outside of the home.

However, another challenge arose when Eva’s husband was deployed overseas for nine months not long after she started working. Eva was faced with a choice—should she try caring for her daughter with no support and continue to work, or move back home to be closer to family but lose her job? Eva didn’t want to leave her job, but she knew she had no choice—she would need the support from her family during her husband’s deployment. Luckily, in the end she didn’t have to choose between her career and responsibilities as a mother. Eva spoke with her manager about her situation, and Alejandra asked her a question that changed everything: “Why don’t you work from home?”

“We wanted to accommodate her. We love having her in the department of the call center. She did so great and still does.” – Eva’s manager, Alejandra, on why Eva was first in the company to work from home.

At first, Eva and her husband were skeptical. Eva’s husband knew he wouldn’t be home to help parent their daughter, and he wanted Eva to focus on raising their baby. But Eva felt this was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down—for herself and her family. She accepted the offer. Eva was the first in the company to be granted the opportunity to work remotely. Her manager explains why: “We wanted to accommodate her. We love having her in the department of the call center,” said Alejandra. “She did so great and still does.”

“I love what I do, and I hope to do it for a very long time.” –Eva Cardenas, medical coordinator, recent CareerStep learner

Eva currently works remotely for Health Link from her home in Arizona. What makes Eva a successful employee? “She goes for what she wants,” said Alejandra. “She knows what her goals are and goes for them.”

For a motivated mama like Eva, the future looks great now that she’s found a happy balance between professional aspirations and family. “I love what I do, and I hope to do it for a very long time,” says Eva.