Continuing her Father's Commitment to Support Those in Need:
Meet Sony Electronics Leader, Christina Trujillo
What is your personal/professional story?
My Colorado roots run deep and I'm thrilled to call Denver my home. Although born in Denver, I was raised in Pueblo, CO until we moved to Mesa, AZ in the 80's for my father to earn his master's in social work from AZ State University (ASU).
After graduating in the top 1% of my high school class, I followed my dad's legacy and attended ASU on a Regent's Academic Scholarship. While at ASU, I was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society and an INROADS Intern at Bank of America. I graduated Cum Laude with a Business Finance degree and started my long career in the financial services industry at First Interstate Bank (Wells Fargo Bank) as an Internal Auditor.
I moved to San Diego in the late 90s and continued working as an auditor in the banking industry, eventually branching out of financial audits to become a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Adding this skillset opened many doors for me and in 2007, I was hired as Sony Electronics Inc.'s IT SOX Compliance Manager. While I focused on building my career, I also started buying properties using the money I had saved since I started working at 16. Throughout my life, I have bought and sold many rental properties, which has become a lucrative "side job" for me. It's often hard to believe that I started working at 16 and have not stopped since!
I moved to Denver in 2011 and have been with Sony Electronics for over 16 years, with most of that time working from my home in Denver. My experience as an auditor, along with my ethics, compliance, and IT governance background allowed me to shift my career path, earn my Certified Information Privacy Professional certification, and I'm now Sony Electronics' Privacy Officer. This year I was inducted into the Samurai Society, which is the highest honor you can achieve at Sony Electronics.
I enjoy many hobbies, including reading, boxing, kickboxing, skiing, Pilates, weight training, and walking my rescue pups.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
My father was the first in his family to attend college and has been the only one to attend graduate school. From a young age, he stressed to my sister and me the importance of going to college and being financially independent. He would take us to the ASU library in the summer while he was studying, and I knew it was a place I wanted to spend a lot of time.
My father was also responsible for connecting me with the INROADS internship program. I thought I wanted to be a criminal defense attorney when I first started college, but my dad thought a business degree would be a better (and safer) fit. As is common in our Chicano culture, I respected my dad's direction and I owe much of my career and personal successes to my dearly departed father, and I thank him for it every day.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
Big surprise, my passion for serving comes from my dad. As a social worker, he devoted his life to helping others and mostly focused on helping at-risk kids in underrepresented neighborhoods.
My sister has also been a huge influence in my life. I have one sister and her only child (TJ) was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age. She went back to college and earned her degree from ASU in Special Education, graduating Suma Cum Laude. My nephew was not given a very good chance of ever communicating, but with my sister's devotion to her son and profession, he has thrived.
I started doing volunteer work at a young age. In high school, I was part of a peer-tutoring program and continued this through college. When I graduated college, I started volunteering with Junior Achievement and did this for many years in AZ and in San Diego. When I moved to Denver, I started volunteering with Reading Partners to help children in underrepresented neighborhoods who were reading below their grade level. I now can add GlobalMindED to my list of volunteer organizations and I'm currently a mentor to a college student. I am a member of the Latinas First Foundation and the co-lead of Sony Electronics’ Women’s Employee Resource Group.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
GlobalMindED can help me to continue on my path of helping and serving underrepresented people in attaining their college goals. I would like to be able to influence students as much as my father influenced me. I have great respect for this organization and I'm looking forward to our continued partnership.
