New Staff Q&A: Tatiana Cordoza

New Staff Q&A: Tatiana Cordoza

OEC is excited to introduce our Communications and Marketing Script intern, Tatiana Cardoza! From her start in early June, Tatiana is already helping OEC elevate our environmental work.

Tatiana recently graduated from Portland State University, where she double majored in Business Marketing and Business Analytics. With this background and expertise, she joined OEC's Communications team to help us parse data, explore trends and develop strategies to enhance our environmental impact. Her fresh outlook and ability to organize complex information into actually digestible reports has been a highly welcomed addition to our team.

We're beyond thrilled to have Tatiana working alongside us! As a born-and-raised Oregonian with deep El Salvadorian roots, she shares our passion for protecting the natural environment around us.

Read on to learn more about her life and interests - from jamming Bad Bunny, to savoring Thai food and soaking up summer lake days.

What was your dream job when you were a kid?

Other than being a Care Bear, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I didn't really know what that meant… All I knew was that you took care of endangered animals, which I knew I wanted to do.

Since the Care Bear thing didn't work out, what made you decide to go into the type of work that you're doing today?

Growing up, my dad had a business. He had no education whatsoever. I basically grew up seeing the back end of what the business was like, and I realized he would have had a much easier time, and probably could have grown it even bigger, if he had the education behind it. There was so much trial and error, but had he gone to school for it, he probably would have had an easier time. Seeing him build a community and brand around his business made me want to study marketing.

What have been some of your proudest achievements throughout your career?

So far, graduating college. I was the first in my family to graduate from a University here in the US. Being first gen comes with a lot of its own obstacles, beyond the normal college struggles. A lot of students can use their parents as a resource, as someone who's already gone through the college experience. But for me, everything was brand new. My family had no idea what I was talking about half the time. I have a younger sister who's going into college next year, so it's nice to know that I'll be able to help her with whatever it is she needs, because I've already gone through it.

What do you like to do when you're not at work or school?

I grew up in Oregon, so naturally I love the outdoors, and appreciate all the things that we have in this state, especially now in the summertime. So I've been doing a lot of hiking, and enjoying the lakes as much as I possibly can. I don't think I'll ever get tired of jumping in the lake on a super hot day.

What are you listening to these days?

I am a huge Bad Bunny enthusiast. It has been nice to know that I'm not the only one here at OEC in that camp. I think that that will always be my go-to artist, or at least they have been for a while.

What's your favorite place to eat in Oregon?

It's not even a restaurant: it's a food cart called Thai Garden, in Southeast Portland. I wish it was a restaurant, because it's so good I always want to just sit down and eat it. I've been going there for years, and it's been the same owners forever.

What are you watching right now? Any movies or shows that have stuck with you recently?

I was talking about it with Janell, but I'm a huge fan of Bridgerton on Netflix. Anyone can watch it, but it's one of those shows where your big macho husband is, like, "Oh, I can't watch that," but then secretly wants to watch every single second of it.

What are your biggest hopes for the future of Oregon?

I'm a Portland native, I was born and raised here. My family's been here for so long. I grew up enjoying all the things that Oregon has to offer. And so I think that my biggest hope for Oregon within the next 20-50 years is that my kids can also experience the same environment, and the same activities that I did growing up. I want to someday take my kids to the same lakes and the same trails that I grew up enjoying.