Since Valerie Moreno started her career, she always wanted a job with a purpose. And like all of us, she’s had to try some things and have some life experiences before she could land a job with some meaning.
Right out of college, Valerie went to work for a consulting firm—Accenture. Young in her career, it was her job to tell businesses what they needed to change. She admits there were some challenging times simply because she was so young. “I had to act like I knew what I was doing until I got it,” she said. “It was very intimidating, but it makes you grow up.”
Many of Valerie’s Accenture accounts were in the healthcare industry, so it was a natural fit for her to eventually land as Covenant Medical Group’s IT manager. “I had always wanted to work for a hospital or medical group,” she said. While it sounded like a nerdy job, “it was more about where I found my passion and strengths,” admits Valerie. It was her responsibility to make sure all staff were trained in how to use the electronic records system. Her technical knowledge had to be deep in order to train doctors, nurses and everyone in between.
When life finally settled down, Valerie bought her first house. As she got settled in, she became good friends with her neighbor—and eventually married him! Valerie and Santos Moreno have been married for the past three years, have three children and are the owners of Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers.
Valerie left Covenant earlier this year to join Santos at Lake Ridge Chapel. She manages their marketing, finances, community relations and other operations. While difficult at times given the nature of the business, she admits when she sees the bigger picture she knows she’s doing the right thing.
Remember that job with a purpose? Valerie says she’s found it at Lake Ridge Chapel. “It feels good to do things for other people and provide a service. People are scared and hesitant when they come. We put them at ease and help them honor their loved one.”
It would be easy to have some regrets along the way, but Valerie says she doesn’t waste her time dwelling on that. “You don’t regret things in life. They take you places and they all work out.”
by Robbye Appling