We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cristina Quinones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cristina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I truly believe the American education system needs a makeover to best benefit today’s youth. Traditional university curriculum continues to demand courses that do not apply to the student’s major or goals, and more than anything the U.S. education system operates as a for profit business rather than a function of society to build adults that will benefit the country. I have two bachelor’s degrees, one in Multimedia Journalism and one in Nursing, and a Master’s in Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. I’ll never forget for my first degree in Multimedia Journalism, I was required to take a music course. I had to take a Jazz to Rock music course to graduate, as well as a Theatre sewing course and several other courses that not only contributed to my 42k cost of tuition, but we’re completely useless to the degree program and my goals in the communication world. These courses were also required for my Nursing degree,.

So many students have clear goals, and these students need to be guided to reach their goals and deserve pertinent education to their goals. If I could go back, I would have waited to go to college until I had a clear goal in mind. Although I use some skills I learned from my Journalism degree with my e-commerce businesses, I mostly don’t use that degree for anything.

I think entrepreneurship truly is an amazing thing, and I see many young people heading toward a route of self learning and entrepreneurship, which just makes more sense. If you don’t have the urge to do a skilled career and want to make a career of your creative efforts, I recommend getting a mentor and building slowly, so many of today’s most brilliant people didn’t go to a traditional college. Until things in the education system are fixed, I think we will continue to see this decline in enrollment and more of our youth thriving in their own creative aspirations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello there! I’m Cristina, I’m a 33 year old Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner and Entrepreneur. Career wise, I started my first business at the age of 19 as a freelance makeup artist and worked with photographers, models, and general clients by providing same day personalized makeup applications. That was honestly one of the most fun times of my life. Growing from there, I started a YouTube channel on beauty in 2010, worked with various brands like It! Cosmetics, E.L.F. and other small brands by providing video reviews to be featured on their websites and also working as a guest blogger on various blog sites. I did this through achieving my bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Journalism in 2013 at the age of 23.

Although I learned a lot about brand development, working with influencers, paid ads and e-commerce businesses at this time, it truly didn’t feel like my calling to work as a Journalist. I did various freelance writing gigs and interned at a local news station, but it didn’t feel right. My grandmother fell ill a year after graduating and I was able to see first hand how impactful Nurses and Nurse Practitioners were, as they helped her heal and I really felt connected to the healthcare world through helping my family and through a tough experience in my life. I applied to a 1-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 2015, I was told multiple times I was an unlikely candidate with my creative background as many candidates had science backgrounds.

I not only was offered a seat in the program, but was offered several scholarships that paid my tuition, I graduated with honors in 2016. I started a second business in 2017 called Barbella Apparel, which had great success. I sold the business in the Shopify marketplace in 2019. In 2022 I graduated with my Acute Care NP MSN, and am currently certified through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses as an Adult Acute Care NP. Just 9 months ago I started another e-commerce business called Valtena Boutique. This women’s clothing store offers clothing for women in sizes 00-26w, we support and give back to women’s shelters and initiatives to help women start their own businesses. My goals in the future are to grow with my current company as a Hospitalist, and in the near future become certified for Botox and aesthetic treatment to open a business in the healthcare realm.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I am not a quitter, and I never take no or “you’re not good enough” as an answer. I have had several instances of people doubting me and my capabilities, from my admissions coordinator for my nursing program to preceptors in the healthcare field and even fellow entrepreneurs. I definitely have also experienced “failure” in my life. The difference between someone who will persevere is when someone tells you that you are not capable, you have to believe in yourself to your CORE- not to prove them wrong, but to prove yourself RIGHT. I also don’t truly believe in “failure”, as with every “failure” you become better, and smarter and can apply what you have learned to your next step forward.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That money is bad. I didn’t grow up poor but my parents did work very hard and struggle to make life work. I was constantly told that it was hard to make money, and that money didn’t grow on trees. If you feed yourself a negative perception of money, you will not take the necessary risks to experience growth. This took a lot of untwining, but once you have a good relationship with money, it will find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Valtena.us
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/i_am_cristinaq?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristina-valerie-quinones-a5433957?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app