Amanda Cruz loves her work because it makes an impact. As a Senior Analyst on the Supplier Value Optimization team, she works to help increase supplier diversity, improve supplier relationship management, and ensure supplier corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Bringing on these suppliers, she says, helps to strengthen businesses that align with Citrix’s priorities around diversity and sustainability. This blog post is the fourth in our Women @ Work series spotlighting women at Citrix. You can meet Xue Wang here, Sam Foster here, and Zanisha Jones here.

How did you get into technology?
By accident. We had just moved to San Diego, and I started working at a consulting firm. My first contract was to work at the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. We had to close 114 legacy datacenters and had to migrate them all to the commercial cloud. It was the first time the Navy had done this, and I learned so much. It was a very proud moment.

What do you like about working in technology?
My experience is in contracts and procurement, and I love learning about technology, what we purchase as an organization, how it fits in the big picture, and, of course, where we are going as a company. Technology is always advancing. What I did for the Navy five years ago is probably not even relevant today. It’s so fascinating what technology can do and how it can help us.

What advice would you give to women who are building careers in technology?
Get mentors from all departments in technology, and learn as much as you can. Build a network of people who will go to bat for you. Find mentors who don’t tell you just what you want to hear but what you need to hear to make your goals happen. Give yourself grace. You are made for something greater and you need to believe it yourself before anyone else will believe you. Don’t let no or you can’t do it or you don’t fit in or you’re not x, y, or z deter you from your goal.

What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career, and how you have managed it?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve had is learning to ask for help. For so long I tried to just do it all, and, at some point, you break. I’ve learned to grow from that and that asking for help is not a bad thing. Good things come from getting help from others and getting their input.

What’s one skill or trait that has helped you excel?
Never giving up. I’ve been told no a lot, from playing sports in high school, to joining the Navy, to buying a house, to getting into technology. The word no fuels and motivates me to push my limits to see what I can accomplish.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received and how have you put it into practice?
Dream it. Do it. Don’t give up because you’ve had a bad day, a bad week, or month. Ask yourself why these things are happening and make a plan to correct it or change it. And don’t lose touch with your passions. I wanted to be a marine biologist. While I’m clearly not that, I still put that passion into practice. I volunteer at stranding centers, and I educate my kids about the ocean. It’s fueling their love for marine biology, too.

How can women help to shape a more empowering culture?
This means so much to me, especially being a part of the Supplier Value Optimization team. We help to connect so many women-owned businesses with Citrix, and that representation is so important to building an empowering culture. And women don’t need to compete with each other. We should be there to lift each other up because we’re stronger together. There is something unique and special about women coming together to achieve incredible things, and when we work together, the outcome is so much greater.