Yamil Aguilar Samaniego

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

My first big opportunity came at a moment when I still felt invisible. I was in a new city, far from home, trying to adjust to a new job, new faces, and a completely new life. Most days, I felt like “the new girl who’s still figuring things out.” I was learning quietly, observing everything, hoping that one day someone would notice what I could do. That day came unexpectedly. During a team meeting, the project lead announced that we needed someone to take over a critical deliverable — something usually given to people with far more experience than I had at the time. The room went silent. Everyone avoided eye contact. And in that silence, I felt something inside me say: “If you don’t raise your hand now, you’ll keep waiting for chances that might never come.” How did I earn it? I simply raised my hand. Not because I felt ready, but because I refused to let fear keep deciding for me. I went to my leader afterward and said, “I want to take this on.” I didn't promise perfection, but I promised commitment — and I meant it. From that moment on, I threw myself into the work. I studied, asked questions, reviewed every detail twice, stayed late, and pushed myself in ways I hadn’t before. It felt like walking a tightrope between excitement and self-doubt, but I kept going. How did it go? Honestly? The beginning was rough. I made mistakes, I got stressed, and there were moments when I wondered if I had made the wrong decision. But step by step, something started to shift. I began to trust myself. I began to find my voice. And little by little, that project started to take shape under my hands. In the end, the deliverable was completed successfully — not flawlessly, but solidly. And for the first time, I wasn’t just “the new girl.” I was someone who took initiative. Someone willing to try. Someone worth trusting. That moment changed everything for me. Not because it was my best work, but because it taught me a truth I carry with me to this day: Growth doesn’t arrive when you feel ready. It arrives when you choose to be brave anyway. If I had to summarize it in one line: My first big opportunity came the day I stopped waiting for someone to believe in me — and decided to believe in myself.