Guest

My name is Sandra Ponce. I am an HR Manager here at Taco Bell. I grew up in South Central LA. So, I was a senior in high school. I started to think about work. Pizza Hut opened a restaurant across the street from the school that I was attending. And I remember my best friend and I, we walk into this Pizza Hut restaurant, very small lobby with a bullet-proof glass that went up to the ceiling, and a speaker box that we were communicating through. And we didn't know at the time that it was actually the restaurant and general manager that we were talking to. &gt;&gt; Wow. &gt;&gt; But one of the last questions he asked was our shirt sizes. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; And so I remember my friend and I looking at each other thinking, I think this is a good thing. &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; I think we're hired. And little did I know that that's where my journey of 23 years would begin. Then at 19, I was promoted and became a restaurant and general manager. &gt;&gt; Wow, at 19. &gt;&gt; Yeah, at 19, yeah. &gt;&gt; That's amazing. &gt;&gt; And all of that eventually led to me becoming a district manager. And so as a district manager, I had eight restaurants that I oversaw. I knew that if I was serious about pursuing a career in HR, that I had to finally make my education a priority. I enrolled into the University of Phoenix and started pursuing my undergrad in human services and a certificate in HR management. Something that I didn't think I could do. Especially not with a family, a son, a husband, and a full-time job. &gt;&gt; Okay, yeah, wow. &gt;&gt; Yeah, you just never know where that first job is going to take you and how it is going to prepare you for your next roll or your next job opportunity. 

Area Coach

Stay in school: I prioritized everything else over my education, but I sometimes wish I had focused on school. It took me 15 years of work to get to a place where I was ready to get my degree, and while I figured out what I wanted to do through those work experiences, I think I also could’ve found my passions while I was in school. And as hard as it was to get through school while I was raising a family, I still enjoyed it and loved learning from my professors and my peers.

Most of what I do from day-to-day is communicate the business impact behind attending our leadership development sessions. This entails everything from talking to interested franchisees about why they should send their managers to our programs, to leading registration for the sessions, negotiating contracts, and scouting event locations. This year alone, we’ve led eight sessions here in Irvine, put on another six or seven on the road, and trained over 1,000 leaders through our programs.

Sandra Ponce

About Sandra

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