Teodora Muresan, our Creative Designer, spoke to us about challenging the cultural differences she has faced, her determination to succeed despite gender disparities and the valuable lesson of never giving up.
In honour of International Women’s Day 2021, we have been speaking with some of the women in our organisation about the ways in which they #ChooseToChallenge the status quo every day. These incredible women are all at different points in their careers and lives, and work across different roles.
Could you tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are today?
After graduating high school, I was struggling to decide on a career path in Romania, my home country. The courses offered weren’t as varied as they are in the UK and building a career in graphic design was wishful thinking at best. So, one day, I took a leap of faith and applied for a few courses in the UK and was accepted onto a Digital Media course at UWE in Bristol.
Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to start a career where no two days are the same. I was lucky enough to start working for JBP before my final year exams had even finished and so, I became part of a brilliant team.
What challenges did you face or overcome to get where you are today, and have you encountered any obstacles that are specific to being a woman?
There were multiple challenges I had to overcome, but firstly with myself. When I first moved to the UK, I experienced a huge culture shock which involved getting used to speaking a different language day in and day out, eating different foods and trying to understand and adapt to social and cultural differences.
Another obstacle I faced was in my course at university. There are typically very few women in courses that involve coding, so there was always a strong sense of determination that I had to work harder to prove myself against the gender disparities.
What achievement or moment are you most proud of?
I am proud of every moment I chose to push through in the past few years, instead of getting stuck and giving up, even when things got tough. I am glad I have always chosen to learn from my mistakes and grow as a person.
Looking back, what piece of advice do you have for your younger self?
There are just so many things I wish I could tell my younger self but, to sum it up: know you can’t know everything, there is always going to be something else to learn. Believe in yourself, be curious, work hard and know you can get through anything and everything.
Teodora Muresan Graphic Designer