Visiting with Carolina was truly a highlight. We went on to discuss so many other moments of reflection and she had some great questions for me about some of my interests. She is a bright light of positivity, and embraces new experiences and living for the very best that life has to offer. This type of fearlessness and certainty has been a tremendous reward for RCI.
– OLIVIER CHAVY, PRESIDENT, RCI
Olivier:
Hi Carolina! Thank you for being here with me today. I saw on your resume that you took a six month sabbatical?
Carolina:
I wanted to travel, and I helped a friend with their business. I also spent a lot of time exercising, and thinking about my purpose in life. Then I heard about an opportunity at RCI, so I thought it would be nice to join the company again. My first time at RCI I was very young, and started working when I was still in college.
O:
Since your sabbatical did you find the meaning/purpose that you were searching for?
C:
Yes! I know why I am here.
O:
Wow, your smile says it all. There is so much joy. Do you mind sharing with me?
C:
I want to transcend. I know that the way that you do this is by passing along knowledge that you have learned or by helping people. When I am 50, I want to start a foundation to help the elderly. Specifically focused on those that have arthritis. My mom has a close friend who suffers from arthritis, but recently they have started treatment involving bees. I’ve been learning more about this type of treatment because I believe more can be done. I want to really help people.
O:
That’s a noble purpose in life, to help people.
C:
Thank you, it is my vision for my life.
O:
Very impressive. Tomorrow, you become President of RCI, what is your first decision?
C:
Technology. I know that we are working on it now, and I am so excited about where we are going. The purchase of Alliance Reservations Network was a huge step, and will be a tremendous benefit. I would also focus internally on the processes that we currently do manually in our different offices. In Latam we have less connectivity, so investing in these processes and improvements would be a big advantage.
O:
If I ask your colleagues to describe you in three words, what would they say?
C:
They would say I am energetic. I am a team player, I do not leave anyone behind. And, lastly they would say that I am weird but in a good type of way.
O:
It’s good to be different! Tell me more about being weird.
C:
Your personal life or your job does not have to be one particular way. You can make everything you do fun!
O:
What excites you the most at work?
C:
That I have the opportunity to meet different people that I can learn from. I am happy to meet you and so many others throughout our region. It’s an honor to represent RCI. People at our resorts and affiliates are so welcoming when they know you come from RCI.
O:
Tell me a time when you had a great impact on your work, with clients or affiliates?
C:
Sometimes we have challenges with confirmations. Because of a system error, a family that booked a vacation with us was mistakenly charged for an all-inclusive. I checked around and there was limited availability due to the time of year. I decided to reach out to my friends at Royal Resorts, they are a really great account, about favor-banking. Because of our relationship with them, I was able to share the details about the confirmation mix-up that occurred on our side and asked them about any chances for availability. They were amazing and they found the space. I believe that the outcome was so successful because of our strong partnership with them, and how we mutually always try to find the best solutions available. In the end, the family had a great vacation, but it was because we resolved everything as a team.
O:
That is a great outcome. What about you and your family, do you have a favorite vacation memory?
C:
I have a couple but more recently one involves my dad. At 75 years old, my dad never had the opportunity to go to Europe. He is not a very emotional man but because of my journey in finding the true value and meaning of life, I wanted to give this experience to him. In October, we went to Spain. We went to Madrid for a couple of days, it was lovely. Then we did a day trip to Seville. I found Seville to be more beautiful than Madrid.
O:
Oh yes, Seville is amazing. It is so beautiful, the architecture is stunning!
C:
He was so happy! We ate, enjoyed the sights and some tours. There was a taxi strike so we did an incredible amount of walking. My dad was very tired, but at the end of that day when we were at the train station he turned to me and said “Daughter, thank you very much for this trip. I love you.", and then he put his arm around me. That moment meant everything.
O:
That is so powerful, and touching. You seem to enjoy travel, where else have you gone?
C:
Yes I try to travel a lot. The farthest I have been is Tokyo. It was a short trip, only 5 days so I definitely want to go back.
O:
I love Tokyo, they have great traditions.
C:
Yes! You know one of my greatest memories from that visit was when we were preparing to land. I was looking out of the window, and when the plane touched down I began to cry. It was happy tears because I was about to have an incredible experience that is so far away from where I was born.
O:
Wow, you felt fortunate for the experience. What is your very first thought when you wake up in the morning?
C:
There is a park right by my apartment, and the birds that are there greet me each morning. There are groups of them flying over my room. I think “thank you." Because I can hear it, because I can open my eyes and see the beauty in the sky. I think I have to be thankful for that.
O:
Tell me a secret about you that nobody knows?
C:
I use to practice Tae Kwon Do when I was young, a teenager.
O:
What was your belt?
C:
I didn’t get that far, I was a purple belt.
O:
What app, website, or brand can you not live without?
C:
Spotify. I love music. There is always music.
O:
Me too. I play my music all day long, from the moment that I wake. Is there a favorite song that you would call your life’s theme music?
C:
Oh that is difficult. Everloving by Moby doesn’t have any lyrics. You know life has different seasons. I think I can apply this song to any of my seasons. It’s perfect for every emotion.
O:
What is your biggest source of inspiration?
C:
My mother!
O:
Have you ever told her?
C:
I don’t think I have, though I tell her that I love her every night. Thankfully she has been a survivor for seven years, but when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I never saw her cry, or complain, and she never said that she wasn’t going to make it. My respect for her grew so much because she taught me that the only thing that you can control is your attitude and how you look at things.
O:
She is very strong. What is your dream trip?
C:
Japan, so that I can travel for a month. I want to take my mom. I would like to go next year.
