Clemy Garza
McDonald's
Santa Fe, NM USA
"You have to dare to dream. Don’t short yourself. Realize that whatever the top of that mountain is, you make it there one step at a time."
Career Roadmap
Clemy's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There's this assumption that you'll only be successful if you go to school. But what people need to tell you is that you'll be successful if you do what you love. I ended up putting myself through school, but there are many different opportunities out there for you.
Here's the path I took:
Bachelor's Degree
Business/Commerce, General
University of Colorado at Denver
Graduate Degree
Accounting
University of Colorado at Denver
High School
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
As a child, education was important to my family, but my parents never pressured me to go to college because they realized there are many different ways to get an education.
2.
In high school, I wanted to be a surgeon, but at the time, colleges wouldn’t admit high school graduates directly to medical school without some college experience.
3.
Instead of going to college after high school, I got married—the marriage didn’t last and I ended up getting divorced while pregnant with a special needs child.
4.
To support myself through school after my divorce, I worked for an attorney—his partner, a tax lawyer, realized I had a gift for accounting and mentored me while I pursued an accounting degree.
5.
With my accounting skills, I was able to get jobs doing tax returns and bookkeeping remotely so I could stay home with my son—I also worked as a nursing assistant at night to support myself.
6.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado Denver, I went on to get my master’s degree in accounting.
7.
I started my career with McDonald’s as a crew member and later assumed the role of chief financial officer for the Garza McDonald’s Organization after my father became an owner and operator.
8.
I later became an operator in my own right and now co-own and operate 12 McDonald’s restaurants—in 2016, McDonald’s awarded me the Outstanding Operations Contributor Award.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You have to go to college to be successful.
How I responded:
There's this assumption that you'll only be successful if you go to school. But what people need to tell you is that you'll be successful if you do what you love. I ended up putting myself through school, but there are many different opportunities out there for you.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I got married out of high school, which ended up in divorce during my pregnancy. After my divorce, I had to support myself through college while living as a full-time mom to my son.
I needed to find jobs that would allow me to stay home with my child during the day. Fortunately, I was able to take remote jobs with my skills in accounting. I also worked as a nursing assistant at night to help support my family.