We were lucky to catch up with Valeria Ruiz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Valeria, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
The biggest risk I have taken and by far the most rewarding has been moving to the U.S. from Colombia at 17 years old. I grew up in Bogota, Colombia where I attended an all-girl catholic school. In Colombia, 11th grade is Senior year and I had one more year left of school to graduate with my lifelong friends. However, I made the decision to turn my life around and move to Atlanta. The only way for me to move there was to do it before I turned 18, so my stepdad could claim me and file the paperwork for me to become a resident and then a U.S. citizen. I left Colombia the summer after I completed 10th grade, on July 28th, 2011. My mom had married my stepdad who lived in Atlanta, but she had no plans on moving to the U.S. Their relationship was a long-distance marriage and they both wanted to make it work that way. Her whole life was in Colombia – her career in banking and our family. I went up to my mom with the idea of moving to Atlanta, I just wanted something different for my life, I was lost in who I wanted to become or what career to choose, and I knew my future wasn’t in Bogota. Now I had the chance to change that. In the beginning, my mom was going to stay in Bogota, but then she made the hard decision to leave everything behind and come with me. The hardest thing for both of us was leaving our family-grandparents, aunts, uncle, cousins. We used to do everything together and I knew that was going to be a challenge.
The first few weeks in Atlanta were great, it felt as if we were on vacation. It all hit me on my first day of school. I remember getting back home crying and screaming that I wanted to back, but I quickly realized I had made the decision of moving and I needed to make it work. High School here was extremely hard, from fitting in, making new friends to learning a new culture and being shy about speaking the language. It was the opposite of my school in Colombia, and I had two years left (an extra year) before graduation. Seeing my friends in Bogota graduate in 2012 without me hurt a lot, especially when I was still in school.
Moving to the U.S. came with many challenges. For my mom it was learning a new language, navigating life without our family, and not finding a job in banking and having to switch careers. For me it was making friends, learning a new culture, starting junior year, and facing college applications and the SAT. Nevertheless, with challenges and risks came rewards. I graduated with honors from Georgia State University (Summa Cum Laude), met my now husband, bought my first house (at 25) and car, landed a great job a Cox Enterprises and a promotion, and started my own business – Oasis del Mar.
Starting from scratch and succeeding in a new country with very little family/support is my greatest accomplishment.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Valeria Ruiz, I grew up in Bogota, Colombia and have been now living in the U.S. (Atlanta) for 11 years. Like many people out of college, I took the corporate route doing a job that had nothing to do with my degree in Marketing. I figured having a good paying job in a different field was better than not having one. Corporate for me was a continuous cycle of having to prove myself and my worth while doing work I had zero passion for. 2020 was a pivotal year for me. The pandemic forced me to work from home and be alone with my thoughts. During this time, I realized I needed to come out of this stronger, get out of my comfort zone, and find my passion. I became excited about all things related to my personal growth. For the first time, I invested in myself and my mental and physical growth. I re-connected with myself, explored my interests, and remembered my why. The why that made me move to a different country to live a more purposeful life. In September of 2020, during my birthday dinner, I spoke to my sister-in-law who is a branding consultant, and we came up with the idea of starting a fashion brand with pieces made in Colombia. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved clothes and styling. I would spend hours at night in my closet putting outfits together. Fashion has always been of a part of who I am, and with my business I wanted to curate and bring pieces from Colombia because it was my way of giving back to my home country and support my community, while exposing Colombian brands in the American market.
I launched my business Oasis del Mar on August 27th, 2021, as an ecommerce brand of resort wear, swimwear, jewelry, and accessories all made exclusively in Colombia. Most of my swimwear is made from recycled plastic bottles collected from the ocean, making these pieces sustainable and in harmony with the environment. Additionally, my packaging is recyclable, and the swim bags are reusable. Protecting the planet we live in is at the top of our core values. Most of our pieces are handcrafted by Colombian artisans and display beautiful skill and design.
Our mission is to live life with a vacation mindset.
Oasis del Mar is a serene escape away from the noise. The noise of the media, the opinions of the people around you, and especially your own destructive thoughts, doubts and insecurities. The best version of you is the oasis. It is the version of you on vacation where you’re happy where you are and how you are. You dare to try new experiences and meet people who are different from you. You are aware of the nature that surrounds you and you focus on living each moment with great intention because you recognize its value. You leave monotony and routine aside and open the door to spontaneity and adventure. You live in the present without worrying about what tomorrow will bring. As a brand we hope to inspire this feeling of living life with a vacation mindset.
I am mostly proud of my ability to continue to take risks to live my life with purpose. Nothing that is worth having comes easy. I learned that lesson when I took the risk of moving to the U.S. and I continue to learn it as a new business owner. It is the journey and the process of getting to who I want to become that I am most excited about.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My junior year of college, I got an opportunity to intern for Cox Media Group as a Financial Systems and Business Intelligence intern. I knew this internship wasn’t in the marketing industry, but I knew it was good for me to explore other lines of work to discover more about my interests and hopefully shed some light on which career path to take since I was so lost. At the end of my internship, I realized how much I loved the company but not the work I was doing. I had my foot in the door to hopefully get a job offer after graduation, and I did. I was so excited to be working for an amazing company after college. My time at Cox Media Group was filled with multiple challenges including the complexity of the job I was doing and changes in leadership that affected who I reported to and my role in the company. I didn’t let this affect my work. Even though I had no passion for the work I was doing, I still showed up every day with a great attitude and eager to learn. It all took a turn when Cox announced the sale of Cox Media Group. This meant multiple job losses, people finding other job opportunities in fear of the unknown, etc. My team of 11 became a team of 3 – my boss, my colleague and me. All the financial analysts we worked with were gone. The hallways that used to be crowded and loud were empty and quiet. The three of us still didn’t know what the future held for us. We certainly didn’t know if we had a job with the new company once the sale finalized and no one had answers for us. We kept showing up to work helping Cox Media Group transition to the new company and doing the work of 11 people among us three. The official sale date was approaching, and my colleague and I learned that our boss had found a spot for the three of us at Cox Enterprises – A different division of Cox. I was so relieved! But the biggest surprise came a few months later, exactly two months before the official sale when the three of us got a huge bonus from Cox Media Group for staying and helping with the transition. This was all the money I needed to start my business, Oasis del Mar. I was so surprised when I saw the money in my bank account that I reported to HR telling them they had made a mistake, but there was no mistake. I earned that money through resilience, hard work, and gratitude. My resilience in showing up to work with the best attitude possible regardless of the circumstances and fear of the unknown, is what got me to where I am today. A business owner and a better & fulfilling role at Cox Enterprises earning more than I expected at 28 years old.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Biggest pivot for me, like many, was the pandemic in 2020. My husband and I had just gotten married in Cabo San Lucas on March 7th, 2020, and the day after we flew back home to Atlanta, the world shut down. I honestly still can’t believe the timing of events; we are so blessed ad thankful that we didn’t have to cancel our wedding plans. Coming back home to the whole world on pause felt like a prolonged honeymoon for us. We got to stay at home and enjoy each other’s company for a little longer, two more weeks we all thought. But when two weeks turned into months, I realized quickly that since I couldn’t control the world around me, I could do something to control the world within me. That meant picking up good habits and transforming into the best version of myself. A version I would be proud of coming out of quarantine. I started journaling, meditating, working out, reading, and finding my purpose. I grew physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I lost 20 lbs. during the pandemic and fell in love with all things that would make me a better human being. Being home alone with my thoughts, helped me get to know myself better. It helped me understand who I wanted to become and the steps I needed to take to change my current situation at work. I decided to take a risk and start my own business. The last four months of 2020 I spent planning and registering my now brand, Oasis del Mar. I thank the pandemic for transforming me into the person I am today. 2020 was a hard year, but I decided to not fall victim of the circumstances and take control of my life, the only one I can control.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopoasisdelmar.com
- Instagram: @shopoasisdelmar